Scott in pokegirl land
by Silvernutbar
Summary: A soldier down on his luck, gets his wish to go somewhere he is truly needed in a most unusual way. Hilarity ensues as he deals with what happens when the reincarnations of the sailor senshi and negaverse awaken on god's perverted earth.
1. Light in the forest

Warnings: This story will involve, gratuitous cursing, graphic depictions of nudity but not sex. There will be a great deal of innuendo, and a lot of rough treatment of people and characters. For those who don't know, I intend this to be four things that may deter you right off the bat and thus remove you from any need to read and review this story. However I won't clutter the beginning of this story, with those reasons. If you want to know why you might not want to read this, specifically, skip to the bottom.

This is a pokegirl story, with a sailormoon fusion/crossover element thrown in. At first those who have read just about every piece of pokegirl fiction will groan and say.. been there seen that, bought the shirt. I'm not sure what I intend has ever been done before, though. Even if it has, I KNOW it hasn't been done in the way I intend to.

Disclaimers:

I do not own the pokegirl world concept, though I do own this particular universal setting. The pokegirl world is the brainchild of a scattered and quite exceptionally horny group of people collaborating over the course of several years. The most famous story was written by metroanime, and entitled wildhorses and pokegirls. Basically, it involved ranma from ranma 1/2 crossing over to that world. I do own sailormoon.. on video cassette. This, sadly, does not give me much beyond the ability to entertain myself. Actual ownership belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, I believe. Beyond that, if you want more pokegirl stories of the lemony fresh variety, look up pokegirl stories or fanfiction on google. If you see anything entitled, 'crimson league' or similar then you are well on your way to something good.

Chapter 1: Light in the forest

He walked along the empty streets at four in the morning. His thoughts were racing, though his body barely moved forward. His current scenario ran over and over in his mind, but he could not find the proper solution. No one was hiring. The bills were coming due, and he was about to be out on the street.

So much for a soldier's life. Getting discharged to help his mother out was all well and good. She was in a far better situation now, but it didn't do much for his. There was precious little work for a combat support specialist in the modern job market, despite all the people's thoughts to the contrary. There were just too many former soldiers that needed jobs. Soldiers with wives and children.

He'd been called 'overqualified' at every restaurant in town. He couldn't get a job in law enforcement because of a few minor issues he'd recently developed on his record despite having it spotless until last year. Security firms wouldn't take him either for similar reasons.

He had almost managed a job as a wal-mart stock boy, but his brother needed it more at the time. So like a douche he just let it go and his brother had gotten hired. Now they wouldn't let him re-apply for six months.

The seasonal farm work he was doing ran out last week. He 'might' have a job running a local chicken house collecting and noting eggs and chicken information for the owner, but it wouldn't be available to him for another three months. He'd be homeless by then.

Scott sighed softly as he trudged down the street. It was almost like this world didn't need him at all. This brought back all his old longings and desires. The reasons for why he'd joined the army, and the unfortunate circumstances that burned his bridges with the military. Six months in prison on desertion charges tended to cause people NOT to want to hire you. He wouldn't complain about that though, he could have been gone for a lot longer.

He remembered all the times he'd wished while growing up that he could make a difference. He had wished that he could genuinely help people, protect them and make the world a better place. In his childish imaginings he had been a hero, the kind of hero changed with the mood of the day, but still a hero.

He gazed up at the moon full and bright peeking behind the clouds that had overcast the sky until now. "Just you and me, huh?" he said cryptically to the uncaring ball of light reflecting space mass.

Scott leaned against a light pole and continued gazing up at the sky for a while before saying in a sad tired tone, "Whatever powers that be in the heavens above... I wish I could really have found a place like that.. where I could truly make a difference. One where people desperately needed a guy like me.. instead of this uncaring rock."

He remained quite after that for a few short seconds almost half believing for some crazy reason that someone, somewhere, had heard him. The twenty eight year old ex-soldier turned away slowly and stepped towards the road that would lead home.

-------------

"HAAAAA!!" Shouted a rather remarkably ugly woman just outside her teenage years. The ball of flaming heat and air that raced toward her intended target screamed out it's own matching rage at the world.

"No!" shrieked the young girl she was aiming at while attempting to dodge the fiery missile. A girl that barely managed to avoid another brutal hit to her injured torso. The blonde girl having hit the dirt, kept rolling, tears streaming down her face. She didn't know why things had to be this way. She'd tried to help these people and now they were attacking her.

"Charlene! Keep it up, our little angel is almost finished.. ha.. the little slut honestly thought she'd get away." gloated a young man in his late teens. He was a cocky looking little bastard, with a smug expression and an air of self importance.

"Why..? Please.. why are you hurting me.. I never did anything to you..?" asked the girl as she frantically clung to a large oak tree's trunk in a vain attempt at keeping the fire hurling girl away from her.

The ugly fire casting chick smirked and said, "Oh stop your whining, you'll be a good little bitch for master soon enough.. and if you think things are hot NOW, just wait till I get you alone... you won't be pretty long, OHOHOHO..!!"

"N-no..P-please.." cried the girl. They were misguided creatures.. no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't hurt them, even to protect herself. Surely there was some good in them right? Maybe if she appealed to their better nature? "You.. d-don't really want to hurt me.. i'm certain we can talk this out.. we can be friends.. really!"

"Friends..?" asked the smug bastard. With an almost feral gleam and a lecherous sneer he said, "Heh.. sounds good... come on out here and we'll talk about it.. we're SOOOO sorry.. we thought YOU were attacking... US.."

The ugly chick blinked and then gawked at her master a moment, before catching on. Then with a satisfied smirk of her own she said, "We promise we won't hurt you.."

"Y-you.. promise..?" whimpered the injured girl.

"We..do.." they said in unison.

"O-ok..i'm coming out, to talk." she said innocently. This could work! It was all obviously a misunderstanding! With her hopes high, and her heart a flutter at the thought of finally making friends she stepped out.. and approached them smiling. Her eyes widened a moment later before she screamed in pain and terror. The fiery bolt of raw magical power the ugly chick unleashed that assaulted her nailed her directly in the stomach.

As the blonde girl dropped to her knees with nearly all the wind knocked out of her, she half gasped, half whispered. "Please no.. please.. someone help me. please.."

"Feh.. that's right my pretty little slut..beg.." sniggered the man, followed by the laughter of his not entirely attractive sidekick. No one noticed the pendant around her neck begin to softly glow.

---------------

Scott was almost home when he heard what seemed like a faint voice. At first he shrugged it off due to being tired. Then clearly he heard it again. It sounded like a young girl, crying.

He looked around wide eyed trying to understand what was going on. There was someone nearby, possibly hurt. Very faintly from the woods off to his left he heard, "...hurting me.. I never did anything to you..?"

Immediately he raced off in the direction of the voice. Whoever it was obviously needed help, and must be a good distance away if they sounded that faint. As he ran, and occasionally tripped over a random limb or fallen branch during his stumbling and very loud approach, he would hear more of the 'conversation'.

With every insult and slur, every smug satisfied gloat, he got angrier. Some jackass was doing god knew what to some girl out here, and he'd do something about that shit.

A brief moment later he came upon a clearing and raced into the center, anger in his soul and fire (figuratively anyway) in his eyes. What he found, though, wasn't a young girl and her tormentor. He found a softly glowing light. It was roughly oval in shape and a bit taller than him.

His look of shock erased quickly though, as he heard the voice come from within the oval of light. She was begging someone to help her.

Now the average person faced with a glowing light begging for his help would run screaming. Scott though, being an avid science fiction reader, and anime enthusiast wasn't immediately scared off. Though, this was probably more due to initial shock than any of that. When the light began to fade, he actually made out images inside. The more it faded the clearer they became.

What he saw shocked and angered him even more. A blonde girl was collapsed on the ground sobbing, while two people were laughing at her. When the man said something about making her beg, Scott's veins ran cold and he knew what was about to happen.

Despite every part of him that relied on sane rational thought he ran into the fading light, and unknowingly left his world of origin behind.

The man got out a red and white ball and pressed a button, expanding it to a size between a baseball and softball. "Don't worry.. ANGEL.. this won't hurt for long, though what comes after might leave you sore.. hahaha..!"

As he reared back to throw the ball and catch himself a new sex-toy, something most unexpected intervened. This intervention came in the form of a two hundred and fifteen pound, mainly caucasion, weight slamming into him in a body tackle.

Both girls gasped suddenly at this turn of events, and the ugly chick immediately began powering up for another firey bolt of mana. This 'person' had dared to assault her beloved master!

"Mana bolt!" exclaimed the less than aesthetically appeasing female, the instant the would be hero stood up.

Scott, turned just in time to recieve a blast dead center in his chest. All the wind rushed out of him and he found himself being flung backwards to slam hard into the forest floor. For a brief moment he stayed there, stunned. The blood screamed in his ears, though he couldn't hear. He felt like his chest must have exploded, and he was having trouble focusing his vision and all went black for him shortly thereafter.

The blonde girl on the ground, who until then had been sobbing uncontrollably, blinked. She had just been rescued from servitude to a man she was almost entirely certain was not a good person. She hadn't been sure of course. His lying and mean nature might have been due to a bad childhood or some such. He might have only needed a little love and nurtured understanding.

This was different though. The young man who had tried to help her, as far as she knew, was laying on the ground in a gasping heap, tendrils of smoke rolling off his chest.

"Y-you.. you aren't a nice person!" exclaimed the girl, her gaze centered on the fallen man. Her sobs ceasing.

The ugly chick sneered and said, "No shit, bitch! What tipped you off, the shoes? Sheesh, how fucking dense can you be?"

In a far stronger voice, and with a lot more resolve than she had been showing the injured girl stood up. "You hurt him..."

Charlene blinked at the sudden change but shrugged it off. "He attacked my master. Though, to be honest I wasn't trying to hurt him."

This drew the blond up short, "You weren't?" she asked with a quizzical expression.

"Of course not! I was TRYING, to KILL him.. sheesh, dumb bitch. You must be a natural blond."

The blond girl took in a gasp of air, shock racing through her. She tried to kill him..? He could die, because he wanted to help her?

Her naturally peaceful and loving demeanor fled and was replaced by something far more lethal. "You.. you won't get away with that!"

"Oh, what the hell can a weak slut like you do? You're half dead yourself!" snarled the witch. She couldn't help but notice a alarming rise in power from her would be conquest.

The girl knew she had to say something and it had to be the right and proper thing. She wasn't sure how or why things had gotten this way, but now she knew she must fight. Not knowing entirely what was proper for beginning combat with a dire foe who hurt the innocent, glanced up at the heavens hoping for a sign.

She saw the moon, full and bright and suddenly words came to her. Words that seemed right. The moon was bearing witness after all. "People that try to protect others shouldn't be hurt by badguys! In the name of the moon I'll punish you!"

The witch drew back a moment, in shock and more than a little disgust before she snorted and said, "Bring it on!" hurling another fireball. She really did seem to be a one trick ponytaur.

Her blond opponent saw her preparing that attack and immediately erected a magical shield to protect her from such attacks. Most of the firey blast was consumed by the shield, but a little heat and concussive force leaked past, and staggered her back.

"Mana bolt!" screamed the witch again, sending another firey missile, which was also blocked by a shield. This time though the blond girl had a better grasp of this fighting stuff, and sensed one of her little used powers.

"Psi-blade!" she exclaimed, believing that it was appropriate to name an ability, even if she made a mental note to change the name later.

Now, normally a psi-blade is just that. A sword made of raw psychic energy, varying in size (usually two or three feet in length) and wielded with at least somewhat expert skill. This particular psi-blade, though, was more like a psi-kitchen knife and wielded by someone with very little idea of anything that had to do with fighting.

She tried to run over towards her opponent, and hit her with it, but immediately tripped over an exposed root and fell flat on her face. A lashing wave of flame washed over her at that exact moment, and continued on. If she had not managed to fall over a tree root, she might well have taken a direct and quite lethal hit.

"Oh no way! How'd you dodge that!" shrieked the witch in agitation. This whole fight was getting on her nerves. When she won a battle the one she beat is supposed to stay down, dammit!

The prone girl winced in pain as her damaged muscles screamed to her slightly fuzzy mind, "get up!" She managed to get to her knees just in time to see the fuming, and quite ugly, chick begin powering up her mana bolt again. '_i'll never make it to her in time..!'_ she thought. Out of desperation she threw her psi-blade at the witch.

Now, in the normal course of events a psi-blade would not continue to function after it left the wielders hand. In fact, it only functioned as an extension of the wielder, usually only for one single attack. This psi-sword though seemed not to know it wasn't supposed to do such things and continued flying towards it's target. Midway there it began rotating, most likely due to arc spin or some such.

By the time the flying blade reached, and then readily missed, its target it was a spinning disc of psychic energy.

"Ha! You call that an attack! You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" gloated the evil witch with a capital B.

The kneeling girl cringed, expecting the worst, almost closing her eyes. To her surprise, though, she heard a loud URK and then looked up to see the witch falling to the ground, a slight after glow around the back of her head.

Unbeknownst to our heroic, if clutzy somewhat dense and very naieve, pokegirl her psi-blade had caught enough backspin to somehow turn around and come back towards her. Since neither one of them would have considered it to be of any matter anymore, Charlene was quite surprised when a greatly weaken blade of raw psionic power smacked her in the back of her unguarded head.

The winner sat there staring blankly for a moment before she realized the fact that she had indeed somehow managed to win crept into her thoughts. "I WON?!"

She basked in the after glow of standing up for herself and the feeling of girl power and such, before she noticed the soft groaning and low moans from behind her. The guy that had 'saved' her was starting to become coherent again.

She did a light jog over to him to see how he was doing, and winced at his matching wounds. He'd probably have a scar for the rest of his life unless she could find a way to heal him. Heck he might even die.

The girl was new to this pokegirl thing, having only hit threshold a week prior. The fact that she was such a rare breed for a threshold case hadn't saved her from being tossed out of her adoptive parents' house. She'd never even paid attention to any of the pokegirl related news the entire time she grew up, save for the occasional pokegirl singing group or band.

Then one day, poof, almost instant pokegirl. She'd been kicked out the next day, and the little food she was able to find had been eaten days ago.

She checked her hero over and noted that outside of a major knock to the back of the head, and the burnt flesh on his chest, he seemed fine. Sparing a glance over at the man who would be her master, she noted that the smug jerk had still not come around.

Despite her misgivings she checked him over too, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that he too was alive. He had smashed his skull hard on a large flat rock going down, but was breathing.

She picked up one of his pokeballs and tossed it at the witch returning her to stasis and considered what to do.

"Um.. hmm." she mumbled, trying to see if she knew anyway to help the guy who helped her. She felt certain that she had some kind of healing ability, but couldn't figure it out. A few minutes of attempting to think out the situation left her staring at the smug jerk's backpack across the field.

She tried to remember what little she knew about pokegirls in general, admittedly not much, and then realized that if he was a tamer then he was likely to have healing items and such, or at least some kind of stamina restorative.

She raced over and grabbed the pack and quickly dumped it out, before rooting through the contents. A few frantic moments of not knowing what she was looking at eventually led her to a blue bottle, about the size of a soda can, marked by several words she mainly didn't understand and then, 'hi-potion.'

"Hey, they used some of this when my neighbor's kitten fell out of that tree chasing a pidgerseatah.."

After she poured some on his chest wound, she waited a few seconds and nothing happened. Glancing at the bottle with a cute frown, she nodded and poured some on the back of his head, and the last of it across his closed eyes. She hadn't liked the look of the red puffy flesh around them. She hoped he hadn't been blinded by that attack. He'd gotten nailed and hard.

After another minute he began coming around, his wounds slowly healing. The pokegirl was relieved to see it working since she had begun to think it wouldn't. The kitten had healed almost instantly.

With a groan of pain he opened his eyes to see an extremely blurry sight before them. It seemed somewhat huma, but was spotted and distorted. He almost instantly closed his eyes as the pain lanced through him.

Eventually though, after what seemed like years, he opened them again. This time his vision was slightly clearer, more distinct. He could make out general shapes, and colors. No specific shades yet, but his vision was slowly becoming something worthwhile. His eyes hurt like a bitch though, and felt incredibly dry.

"Um.. hi.." said the girl to the prone man. She hoped he could understand. His eyes looked bad, and she was tempted to try and shut them for him.

Scott whipped his head up towards the sound, illiciting a hiss of pain from him. He let his eyesight, what he had of it, focus on the voice's location and began to get a blurred vision of blond seeming hair, and a heart-shaped face. Tentatively, he said, "Hi... um.."

For a full minute they stared at each other before the man spoke again, "So.. are you alright..? You're that girl that was being attacked right? I think you are anyway..?"

The girl in question took in a deep breath and blinked. He wasn't trying to catch her, tame her, and anything else her? He genuinely wanted to know how she was doing.. despite his own wounds?

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm a little beat up, but i'll be ok.. um.." she stammered out, as best she could.

Scott, closed his eyes, and nodded. "I'm glad.. at least I did one good thing in life, heh."

The girl blinked again trying to understand him his speech was a little thick, his accent strange. Then she blurted, "Well i'm glad the good thing you did was me!"

This caused a massive blush to form on her hero, followed by a rapid choking sound.

"Oh no! You must be getting worse! We need to get you somewhere you can heal..!" she exclaimed, before trying to lift him. He was as heavy as he looked, and almost dead weight.

After much cursing, shrieking, and various whining, she got him to his feet. "I have no idea where we are miss.. and I think I need to keep my eyes closed.. my vision is rather.. not good right now.. I think my eyes are damaged.. they feel deep fried."

"You're hurt because of me!" wailed the girl, almost dropping him.

Scott winced at the sonic shrieking that entered his besotted ears. They were painfully sensitive for some reason. "You wouldn't happen to have any cloth or first aid stuff? I mean it's not likely, since you were butt naked.. but still.."

"No.. I.. hey wait! The pokepack, the jerk was using. He had a bunch of stuff, some of it might work?" she exclaimed and then clarified. The word 'pokepack' caused the man to tilt his head up as though he was listening to some distinct sound he might have come close to missing. The effect was rather like a dear listening to the sudden sound of a possible approaching mountain lion.

'pokepack..' he thought to himself. It must be a coincidence, there was just no way this could be THAT place.

The girl took him by the hand and lead him over to the pack, before she sat down and rummaged through the supplies. Most of it turned out to be clothes, a few random assorted perverted sex items, and pokeballs. The term pokeball when she said it aloud sent a shiver of dread through the man's spine. 'ok.. so maybe we're all living in a POKEMON world.. and not..'

"Hmm, well he hasn't got any more potions, but he does have burn cream? That might help some.. I think? The only other things that look like healing stuff is in a tube called 'ky' do you know what that is? It could be a pain reliever?" she suggested, and then asked innocently.

Scott turned beet red again, and said, "Um.. i'm sure it helps with the pain.. just not burns... the KY I mean.. the burn cream sounds like a good idea, though i'm not sure I should put it near my eyes.."

The girl smiled, though he couldn't tell, and said, "Ok! Just sit back and i'll play nursejoy for the day!"

The man winced visibly and then let out an audible sigh. That just clenched it. He was now living in a pokesomething world..

The girl saw this and instantly thought he was doubting her skills as a physician, not that she had any. "Don't worry! You'll be good as new! Before I went through threshold, I took a first aid course! This will be a piece of cake!"

Ten minutes of agony later, the entire contents of one jar of burn cream had been slathered upon any surface she could find, double on any burnt looking areas that remained after the hi-potion. That she wasn't sure how hard to press it down when rubbing it in, had become apparent when she got it along his chest. His screams of pain, only served to make her believe she was doing it wrong, and rubbed harder to be sure it got in deep. What she didn't realize was that some of his agonized girly shrieks had come from the fact that she had said she went through threshold. He really was very likely in a pokegirl world.

At his direction she , used a stick to poke a hole in one of the unconscious boy's shirts, and then begin tearing strips off to bind his non-burnt wounds, mainly the back of his head. He had to forcibly keep her from binding his chest burns. Though, as much as it hurt, he did let her bind his eyes.

He felt like a half done hamburger, and it showed. The next problem came, with what to do with the unconscious, and probably concussed, jerk. She couldn't stick him in a pokeball, and her saviour could barely move himself, much less another human being. She was too beat up to carry him.

"Use, some of his clothes, and a few tree limbs, to try and make something we can drag him with. If we keep him tied down and away from his pack, we might be able to keep him underwraps, until we can find help." suggested Scott. His field training coming back to him, slowly. His head was still a little foggy, but he could recall useful tidbits.

"Ok..!" exclaimed the girl, before heading off to find some sturdy limbs. Her own injuries were bad, but with Scott's help they might just make it out!

Roughly half an hour passed before she was done, creating the carrier at Scott's direction. The man hadn't woken up yet. Scott was more than a little concerned about that, mainly because he didn't want to drag a dead jackass all over god's perverted creation.

He was still breathing though, and the bleeding had stopped.

After, bandaging his head, and tying him down in what could only be called, overkill, they were on their way. The nearest town, if the girl recalled correctly, was a half day away. She hadn't gone too far, because she'd never left the area before and was scared.

Scott on one side, and her on the other. The pair made a very slow pace towards town. They couldn't travel fast at all due to scott's blindness, and the litter they were dragging. The 'half day' would no doubt turn into a full day or longer.

Author's final notes of the chapter:

1) As you may have wondered this is a pseudo self-insert. The character is like me in every respect, except for a handful of things I refuse to mention. He's me if life had turned out slightly harder and I didn't luck out of a few things.

2) This is an alternate universe version of the pokegirl world. For those that don't know, ask. It's basically a perverted parody of the pokemon world, only a great deal darker, and touching on some things most people don't even want to think about. The pokemon, are females ranging from almost completely human normal, to bizarre freakish things. They need to submit to human beings for taming.. which is basically a physical bond utilized through sexual intercourse. Like I said though, no graphic depictions of that in this story. It WILL be a prevalent concept, just mainly inferred. I might post this story elsewhere though, with the lemonesque scenes.

3) This is where we come to the part that other pokegirl world writers might not like. This story will feature an alternate universe, as I stated, but in it there will also be a sailormoon style semi-fusion crossover kind of deal. So basically all the villains and such from the first season will show up, and be 'themselves' this means real dark kingdom type youma and such that have no pokegirl dna, along with power levels akin to what you'd see in the anime at first, whereas the senshi.. having been reborn on earth, will obviously end up pokegirls.

4) This fic will have a lot of dark moments, especially at first. There's no way around that, without making it a non-realistic self-insert. I'm someone that has no trouble with a self-inserted character becoming uber-powerful. I just prefer they generally have good reason. My character insert honestly has no reason to be uber until much later if at all. Though, this won't keep him from gaining powers and abilities over time. If I wound up in a sailormoon/pokegirl crossover/fusion I honestly could see things happen this way. 


	2. prison blues

Warning: This story involves a lot of adult level themes and random naughtiness.

disclaimer: I own nothing except a handful of characters and this universe, which in itself is a knock-off of a much better thought out one. The original pokegirl stuff belongs to a bunch of other people. The original sailormoon stuff, belongs to naoko takeuchi.

For those who care, yes this is a smaller chapter. No that doesn't mean all of them will be. I just feel that it makes sense not to add too much filler to a story, if the story itself works better without it. I could theoretically have added this as part of chapter one, but decided it was better to make it seperate, to sort of add to the understanding of how much it sucks to be Scott presently.

Chapter 2: Prison blues.

He counted the ceiling tiles for the thirtieth time that day. It beat remembering. It beat the look of horror in his mind as he looked at the picture her parents showed him. The picture of a young girl he'd crossed time, space, and reality to protect. A young girl, captured and given to a sadistic jackass, solely because he was 'licensed'.

He couldn't forget her face, it was the first noteworthy thing he'd seen after he had his vision repaired. Two weeks after he'd been imprisoned on charges of assault, theft, and interfering with the lawful capture of a pokegirl by a licensed tamer.

All that didn't matter. What mattered was the horror and rage that echoed through his mind the day he was arrested, and then rapidly tried. He was surprised they didn't add resisting arrest to his list of charges, he had put up as much of a fight as he could in his condition. His soul- wrenching scream of, "You call this fucking JUSTICE!" as they closed the bars on his new home echoed through the empty wing of the building and startled a pidgy sitting on a nearby ledge.

He cried in his cell that night, after the lights went out and no one could see. No one could hear him, they had placed him in a cell well away from other prisoners. They suspected he had powerful blood gifts, considering he took a direct hit from a witch's fire element enhanced mana bolt and survived.

The next day, he had a visitor. The man had come by to gloat. He talked to Scott about all the things he intended to do with his new toy. Scott's reply was to beguile him in close enough to the bars to hear what he had to say. The fool thought that his blindness would keep the ex-soldier from doing anything. Said fool soon left screaming bloody murder after a chunk of his ear got bitten off and spat at him.

Luckily Scott didn't get charged with assault again, the ass hadn't gotten legal permission to visit and had simply slipped in unannounced when a lazy guard had wandered off to get some doughnuts.

Scott did have a major fine though, well major for a guy with no money. The levied a 86,500 SLC fine at him, for damages, stolen property, and court costs. He would have been out by now, all he had to do was pay the fine. However, he had no identification and no money. Thus, he was stuck there. You were only allowed out on work release if you'd proven yourself a non-threat to the society at large. This generally took six to eight months on average.

He worried himself sick over the girl's plight more than his own though. He never even knew what she looked like, and couldn't rescue her or become a tamer and win her if he didn't know what or who she was!

Two weeks after he'd been in prison, and the day after he'd met with a megami capable of repairing his vision, a middle aged couple had come to see him. They announced themselves as the parents of the girl he tried to help.

He bite back a major stream of verbal vitriol he wanted to spit at them. The girl had told him on the long walk to town. She had been kicked out by her family, and left to wonder the wilds alone.

As it turned out, this wasn't the case. They had been looking for her, for weeks. Scott found out that she had overhead them trying to figure out a way to get her out of town before she wound up as some tamers sex toy. The girl had apparently overheard the part about how she had to leave and thought it meant she was being thrown out. They had been looking for her ever since.

Scott told them his story, and wild eyed they listened as he explained the insanity of it all to them. Finally they sighed and excused themselves, thanking him for trying. Before they left though he asked them if they had a picture of her, he could see since he had been blind the whole time he was with her.

The image had shocked him to the core. Scott stared at it slack jawed for several minutes, before uneasily saying, "Serena..?"

Her parents gawked at him, and immediately wanted to know how he knew the name. He remembered the quick lie he made up, telling them about some dream or other he'd had starring her and a magical kingdom thousands of years ago, freaky right? He had said.

They looked at each other and murmured a bit, the word 'recognition' floating about to further complicate things. What had really gotten under Scott's skin though, wasn't the startling similarity of names or the fact that she looked exactly like a real world version of Serena/Usagi Tsukino. No, what bothered him the most was the locket she wore around her neck. A locket he'd instantly recognized.

When he asked about it, the parental types grew quiet again and glanced at each other. He laughed softly to himself at the unsurprising answer. "Oh that..? It's been in the family for ever, we don't know how long ago it came, but it's been passed down since long before the sukebe war."

When they asked why he wanted to know he just smiled sadly, and said, "She wore it in the dream.. is all.."

They let him keep the little wallet photo of her, since they couldn't afford to spring him from jail. They were a loving family, greatly appreciating what he tried to do, but lived paycheck to paycheck so to speak.

Scott rolled over on his bunk, covering his head with his pillow. He hoped the pressure would drive away the headache he was getting. They were more frequent now than ever before.

Two more weeks would pass before the day that next changed the course of his destiny forever.

------

"So, he really is a dimensional shift case?" asked an officer jenny while leading the visitor down the alarmingly clear aisle. They had begun to suspect as such last week, after all the leagues finally reported in with no idea who this guy was.

"I believe so. His genetic profile almost guarantees such." explained the woman as she walked beside the police pokegirl.

Officer jenny blinked at her and asked, "Genetic profile.. what does that have to.. do with anything?"

"My dear jenny, it has EVERYTHING to do with it. Just like most other shift cases, his genetics are 100 percent pure human. PURE HUMAN." clarified the curvaceous woman.

The police girl boggled a moment at the thought that she'd actually met a legendary being such as that. The idea that she of all people would arrest a real genetically pure human being was amazing. They were like the Tooth Fairycute or Sindy Claus. No one believed in them after they grew up.

"So, that's why you're paying his fine?" asked Jenny.

The professor smiled and nodded, "That among other things. The megami they sent to fix his eyes put in something in his report that seemed rather interesting, plus there's the fact that hi-potion worked on him, when feasibly they shouldn't work on anything that hasn't at least a thirty five percent in pokegirl genetics."

"So the hi-potion did work on him? We'd discounted that as he'd still been nearly blind when we arrested him." said the girl with curious interest.

They rounded the final corner and began heading towards Scott's cell as the professor answered. "Yes, it was one of those highly condensed formulas too. You know, the kind where you are supposed to place a capful in a bottle of water, to dilute it into a hi-potion."

"The fact is, that if it worked at all it should have killed him. He was hit with what amounts to eight x-potions worth of healing in the space of less than a minute. Even high tolerance, high hitpoint pokegirls would be in serious danger from that kind of overdose." said the woman, as she turned to face the cell with her newest mystery.

Scott had heard them chatting amiably about him as they walked down the hall. '_How very female of them_' he thought. _They talk about me like i'm not even here._

The visitor squared her shoulders and said in her most professional voice, "Hello Scott, I am professor Analise Ophun. I am here to take you home with me."

Scott glanced at her. He gave her a perfunctory look up and down. He noted height, weight, breast size, the standard for any male sizing up a female. He then promptly dissolved into a fit of adolescent giggles.

"Might I ask, just what IS so very humorous?" asked the professor curiously.

The man chuckled and said, "Oh, nothing besides the perverse irony, the universe throws at me. It's become clear that i've gone entirely insane."

The woman quirked an eyebrow at him and then smirked. This might work out after all. She'd been expecting a raving lunatic, that bites off ears, and spits them back at people. Instead, she found herself with a raving lunatic that bites off witty sarcastic remarks, and makes fun of her name.. naughty boy.

---------

Author's notes: As far as it goes, I created professor Analise. However, the name is so readily available to the tongue that I believe it likely someone else might have come up with something exactly like or similar to it. If so I apologize. The name came to me yesterday as the perfect little naughtiness, and no I wasn't online at the time.


	3. The meaning of life or not

Disclaimers and such: the same as previous chapters! I didn't originate any of the concepts herein, only certain characters and the current parody usage.

Warnings: coarse language, sexual innuendo, and it's talk heavy this time.

Chapter 3: The meaning of life..

Scott finished the last of his assignments for the day and leaned back. It had been two weeks, since he'd been taken in as a ward/ worker bee by professor Ophun. He had no spending cash, due to owing her for the debt she paid on his behalf.

She worked him ten hours a day, five days a week. The pay rate, was pretty much 5000 slc a day. To some people this might sound like a lot. In reality, though, it was fairly equivalent to making five bucks an hour.

Half his pay was retained due to the necessity of room and board. The other half was also retained due to the money he owed.

Scott didn't mind too much though. The professor's idea of work mainly involved filing papers, data entry, working out, and studying.

He spent a minimum of four hours a day learning about the pokegirl world, refreshing himself on various pokegirl breed types, and getting himself in shape.

The man wasn't certain just why she insisted that all this was work related and necessary, but he wasn't complaining. The time he spent working out and studying pretty much covered his food and rent.

It hadn't taken him very long to note several key differences between this reality and in the fanfiction. What people wrote about this type of world. The reality he now lived in.

The most startling differences revolved around how many people actually lived here. Most estimates back home had placed numbers around ten to fifteen million or so.

Currently, in this version, there were well over two hundred million people that claimed human heritage. Of course, human was a reletive term. Any male was considered human, and roughly one twelfth of the female population fell under the minimum standards to be considered true human. They required a blood percentage of no more than three percent pokegirl dna to be classed as true human.

There were a lot more 'human' females in the next scale up. The ones that were under the sixteen percent ratio. Anything beyond that, and she was generally considered a pre-threshold pokegirl.

Pokegirls were a lot more plentiful though. The current estimate for all known breed types, seemed to have them at a likely six to one ratio. for every human, there would likely be at least six pokegirls in existence. The total number of at least near sentient life forms on the planet then was roughly one sixth what it had been before the war three hundred and some odd years ago.

These numbers were simply educated guesses though.

There were a lot more towns, villages, enclaves, and schools than the fiction in general. The laws though, were sadly very similar. Pokegirls had about as much right as animals in a random third world country from his home world. They had the aspca, green peace, the sierra club, and such to try and keep owners from being too brutal, and such. The tactics such people used even on our world tended to be sorely lacking in effectiveness though. The pokegirl world version of the aspca took the form of activist groups and the various councils.

Once the clock struck seven he nodded and closed down his work station. He'd pick up his study on the various magic systems available in the pokegirl world. His owner, as he thought of her on occasion, would test him on magic theory at the end of next week.

He lifted himself to his feet quietly, and silently crept towards the door. He had to try his best to avoid the pokegirl tutors The professor had assigned to him. They'd begun to act a little strangely around him and he suspected they were attempting to not so subtly let him know they were 'in season.'

He'd made it out of the room, and managed to get halfway down the hall before the sensual voice of his captor/teacher reached his ears. She'd said his name, but he quickly realized she wasn't talking to him, but was instead discussing him with someone else.

Scott slipped up to the door and quietly listened in.

"He's progressing rather swiftly for what one would consider normal for a pure blood human." said Analise. Her professional yet flowing voice filtering out of the room. Just one more thing that added up on Scott's list of 'reasons'. He was almost certain that she wasn't human. Though, he wasn't entirely certain she was a pokegirl either. Something seemed off about her.

He'd managed to get into her biological information file yesterday, and was intrigued by the notion that she was considered true human. She supposedly had less than three percent pokegirl dna. A little warning alarm had echoed in his head, as he considered several moments that she might have slipped recently.

He didn't think she was used to having a male presence around. She'd never come onto him, but she also hadn't blatantly been involved with the 'pokegirls' she had working there. The funny thing about it though, was that none of them ever seemed to need taming despite the somewhat blatant advances of late. It almost seemed like they were trying to play a part.

Scott listened attentively as she rattled off a list of his traits, and the growth pattern he'd shown. The most interesting thing to him was to come though.

"So, do we know why he survived such a high overdose of condensed hi-potion?" asked a mystery voice. It had a lilting quality, that reminded him of someone. He just couldn't place it.

"I'm not entirely certain, but he seems to have some kind of latent magical and psychic talents. It's not that unusual in the pure bloods." said professor Analise, stopping a moment to take a deep breath before continuing.

"Their genome was the baseline Sukebe used to graft pokegirl genetics to in the beginning. If the basic qualities for mystical, life force, and psychic manipulation weren't there, then likely there would be very few such pokegirls. As we know though, they are quite plentiful."

Scott quirked his eyebrow at all of that. He had latent mystical and psychic powers? He wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been drawn to the occult back home, and had studied such things as the kabbalah, golden dawn ritual magic and other such things in general. He'd actually performed a fair share of the 'spells' such things produced. True, there was rarely any remotely noticeable effect, but he kept trying.

"So what does that mean really? Having mystical affinity wouldn't normally save a pokegirl from such an overdose.." came the lilting voice. Scott was almost certain he knew the quality and tone, but it couldn't be certain yet as to whether it was who he thought. I mean she was an anime character, and the voice belonged to a voice actress. Then he realized where he was and smirked. It was entirely possible.

"Well, from my initial findings, i'm quite certain his entrance into this world left his molecular and genetic structure in disarray." stated the curvaceous professor before clarifying. "It's quite common really, especially for first time dimensional shifts and teleports. His aggression levels, unstable structure, spiritually, mentally, physically, and the sudden impact of a purely magical force upon them awakened his latent capacities."

The man, took all this in stride, and noted this all mentally. It might be important at some time. He continued trying to place the new voice as he listened in.

"Ok, but still that doesn't answer the question does it?" asked the mystery voice.

Analise was quiet a moment and said simply, "No. It doesn't."

"Hmm, a mystery these humans.. I suppose that's why they're so charming." came the lilting reply.

Scott's eyes widened comically and he immediately thought, 'bingo!' He was almost one hundred percent certain who the mystery person was. That only left, discovering who Analise might be. He had a hunch, but she seemed well practiced at playing the part of a human professor.

"If you say so, I only found one to be even remotely interesting. Two if you count that boy that helped me free him..." came Analise's soft reply. It seemed she had a tragic past, possibly with lost love.

"Yeah, same here really. I mean I find them generally interesting, but there was only one for me too." came an equally sad reply.

The two were quiet for a moment and then the lilting voice asked, "Oh, did anyone ever manage to find out how that angel pokegirl was able to get into that tamer's pokepack? Those things are supposed to be genetically encoded to only work for the owner, or at most their alpha."

Analise released a soft chuckle. "No clue. I just chalked it up to happenstance. The running theory is that he'd simply left it on 'open' status."

"Hehe. Always something new in life I suppose. Well, I should be getting back to the enclave. The next ceremony is supposed to get underway tomorrow night. There are more than a few 'elven' pokegirls quite excited about their future." stated the lilting voice. Her soft musical tones continuing to remind Scott of a particular elven anime girl.

Professor Analise answered, "I bet they are. Honestly, it's almost an insult to call them that. Though it is nice to know that humans and elves can interbreed. We never managed that back home."

The man listening in at the door nodded to himself. So his assertions about the professor were right, she was not a human or a pokegirl. Most likely they would turn out to be dimensionally shifted elves of the traditional non-pokegirl variety. The kind that tended to live anywhere from seven hundred to multiple thousands of years. Heck some elves in fiction back home only died if killed or they chose to fade away.

"Oh Scott, you can come in now. Our visitor is gone." came the voice of 'Analise'.

Scott cringed and then chuckled as he walked in to see a sight he wasn't to entirely surprised by. "Hello, Pirotessa."

The resulting eyebrow quirk from his benefactor only added to the raw amounts of sex that seemed to exude from the dark elf. Here was a creature of intellect, and discipline, who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. A person so devoted to her last boyfriend that she spent several centuries trying to free his soul from a corrupt and evil animal god.

A dark elf who'd changed her named to 'Analise Ophun.'

"I'm not even going to ask how you figured that out. You'd probably tell me and give me another headache." said the elven woman, as the last vestiges of her human image faded away to reveal her true form. Once he knew intellectually who she was, the illusion held no power.

Scott chuckled and then sighed. "Ya know, anime doesn't do you justice milady." before giving a proper courtly bow.

The other eyebrow quirked up causing her to look delightfully surprised.

"It's my own fault for not recalling how sharp true elven hearing and senses in general are supposed to be. You probably heard me the moment I got out of my chair." stated Scott, as he decided to plop down in the recently vacated chair.

The dark elven professor shifted uncomfortably in her seat and said, "Pretty much yes.. though when we had decided to let you listen in I never suspected you'd know so much, so readily."

The man smiled and then wiggled a little, "Hmm, well speaking of we, you might want to tell Deedlit to lay off the sweets. My rump fits perfectly here, so hers must be getting rather... matronly."

Professor Analise blinked, digested this bit of information and then promptly fell into a fit of unrefined giggles. She was right, this one would definitely do.

Scott soon joined her in her giggle fest, while noticing that they were both relieving a lot of pent up tension. He knew, at least on a shallow end, how hard it must be to pretend to be so many things at once. She'd probably been at it for years.

"Answer me one question though.. if you would?" Scott asked in his most serious and sober voice. A look of concern and sincerity upon his face.

Pirotessa sobered and nodded, "I suppose I owe you an explanation, though you figured out quite a bit more than one might suspect possible. Ask anything you like."

The man nodded sagely and then inquired, "Ms. Pirotessa..?"

"Mmm, yes Mr. Scott?" she half purred. He wasn't sure whether that was from mild attraction or simply habit.

"Why.. DID you chose the name Analise Ophun?" he asked with as straight a face as he could muster.

She chuckled and then managed to keep herself from giggling again. She hadn't had this much fun in years. Her sage and honest answer was, "Because it is."

Scott's immediate flush and head shake caused the jaded elf to smile a little. _'He's made me laugh and smile more in the last few minutes than I have in over a hundred years.. amazing.' _ she thought to herself.

The two were quiet for a moment, before Scott spoke up, "Oh and you can tell your other dimensionally relocated sisters that they don't have to pretend they want a taming. I was already pretty sure they weren't pokegirls to begin with."

Pirotessa nodded lightly. They'd be happy to hear that, though not as excited to realize he knew a great bit about their secret. Just how intelligent was this human? He'd been here two weeks and had almost completely figured out their whole operation. The league hadn't even known they existed until last year. A hundred and twenty years of acute secrecy, foiled easily by a dispossessed human. It was remarkably sobering.

"So, dark elf of my dreams... why DID you bring me here? I figured that pure blood human stuff was mainly a cover." he asked bluntly.

The elven girl struggled mightily to avoid the flush that began to daringly attempt to creep it's way onto her face. "Well, honestly, I hadn't intended to tell you until you 'paid your debt'. I guess that's pointless now."

Scott nodded absently, and wiggled in his chair. It was a comfy seat, and the residual scent of sunshine, green grass, and sweet flowers clung to it. Deedlit must smell awesome.

She nodded and continued, "Well, basically I wanted to sponsor you as a tamer." she began. Noting the growing frown spreading across her live in house guest-slash-indentured servant's face she finished, "But as I found out, the idea of being a tamer is appauling to you. You aren't so much against the gratuitous sex as the ownership angle."

The man took a deep breath and nodded. She was right, he did not have any issue with getting laid by hot and nubile females. It was the idea of slavery that kept sticking in his head.

"Well, I have a way around that. You'd still be traveling around with pokegirls, but you wouldn't be a tamer. You'd be a guilded adventurer." said the elven woman. Her hand idily reaching up to brush back a few strands of hair.

"Ok.. you lost me.. adventurer?" asked Scott seriously. This was something new to him.

Pirotessa smiled, "Yes, it's a new guild that started up recently in the indigo league. It's only about fourty years old."

The man smirked. To an elf with unlimited possible sunrises fourty years would seem recent.

"It became popular due to the random influx of the occasional non-pokegirl monster. They also serve as couriers, bounty hunters, and treasure seekers." continued the woman. She had the look about her of someone trying to recall something they memorized.

Scott acquired a thoughtful look as the woman continued. "Tamers in general only seem interested in finding and taming new pokegirls. These sort of tasks annoyed them, and it plagued the local police too much to deal with the monster sightings too. So the league tried something new."

"They sent out word to various cities and towns to post these missions and necessary things in pokecenters, post offices, and random inns." said Pirotessa. She had a far away look, as though remembering something.

The man sitting across from her, decided to listen to her more specifically since his eyes kept traveling down her form and figure.

"Eventually, this sort of thing became stratified, and turned into an actual process. A few years later, an actual guild formed to handle these random tasks." Finished the woman.

"Ok.. so basically tamers show up and take random jobs.. how is that different than being a tamer?" asked Scott seriously. He just wasn't grasping the concept yet.

Pirotessa chuckled. "Well tamers don't. Only members of the guild do. Adventurers have a slot somewhere between pet owners and tamers. They can have three pokegirls at a time, and unless they become full members of the guild, they aren't allowed to have any kind of storage space for more."

"So, they're like tamers.. only with less pokegirls?" asked the man. This seemed kind of well, pointless.

"Yes, to an extent. The main difference is, that they get a weekly pay allotment from the guild based on rank, along with restrictions and benefits that tamers aren't allowed."

Scott gazed silently at her a moment and then took the bait, "Ok.. details..please.."

Pirotessa smirked, he was beginning to come around she could tell. "Well for one, they're immune to turn over laws and challenge laws. IF a tamer challenges a licensed adventurer to a pokegirl battle, the adventurer always has the right to use himself and his full team in any battle all at once."

She took a breath and continued. The movement of her chest almost hypnotizing Scott. " If the tamer wins they simply get the satisfaction of victory. An adventurer does NOT have to give them one of the pokegirls by law. Though, generally they're expected to compensate with some form of currency or item trade."

"Well, I could see that being somewhat useful. but well open to abuse.." said the man. He was still trying to understand why people bothered with this.

"It was at first, but now by law an adventurer must announce themselves as such. They also can simply refuse a challenge unlike a tamer. Most tamers dislike adventurers because of this." stated the woman before reaching over and picking up a bottle of water. The room was getting rather warm.

Scott, tried his best to ignore the sight before him. There was no way she was missing her lips with that much water. The cool refreshing liquid was flowing slowly down her neck to curve along her..best not to think about that right now.

"It's not without it's disadvantages though. No adventurer can win a pokegirl in a pokebattle fought with a tamer. They can only acquire them through trade, or capture in the wild." said the somehow drenched elf. She smirked a little at his attempts to ignore her. Teasing him was fun.

"The whole concept seems kind of flawed though. From what you're telling me, adventurers are basically tamers with few pokegirls, less restrictions and benefits, that travel around doing menial jobs no tamer would want anyway." said Scott.

A soft chuckle lilted it's way from 'Analise's' direction. "In a nut shell yes.. however, some of those 'menial' tasks involve monster extermination, bounty hunting, and exploring ruins. Quite profitable at times, as well as allowing you legitimate non-taming reasons to travel around."

Scott gazed at her softly and then smirked. "That's all well and good, but you didn't bring me here to be an adventurer or tamer. This gig is supposed to be a cover for something.. and i'm guessing it involves elven pokegirls becoming real ones..?"

Pirotessa spit out a mouthful of water she had just drank. For a moment she'd forgotten how perceptive this man was. He'd figured out their deal. Though, he didn't know the mechanism of how they would transform a pokegirl elf into a true elf.

The man casually wiped his face then vaugely wondered just why being spit on by a hot dark elf was giving him wood.

The elven woman sighed and then nodded, "Yes. Mainly it's a cover for sending your sponsor, i'e. me any elven girls you find. They aren't forced to change, and in fact many don't. Some do though. The whole part about them no longer being captureable and not needing to be tamed tends to help them decide."

"What else?" Scott asked quietly. He knew there was something else. All of this had been too obvious for him. There had to be some kind of secondary agenda.

"Well.. that relates to the part about 'monsters'. Apparently, more and more sightings in recent weeks have been showing non-pokegirl monsters, as well as a lot of youma and dark type pokegirls that show up with high levels and don't seem to be attached to a tamer. These youma seem to be some kind of energy vampire as well, drawing the life out of even large crowds of humans and pokegirls with ease."

The young man quirked his left eyebrow. Youma pokegirls that spent time drawing life force from large crowds.. high level and no tamer.

"Tell me Ms. Pirotessa.. do these youma that attack.. seem to be impervious to capture?" asked Scott softly.

The elven woman nodded and answered, "Yes, actually. No pokeball has ever managed it. There was even a report of an attempted capture by an illegal black market device employed by one of the team rocket clone organizations."

Scott sat silently a moment and then sadly said, "But this would still require me to capture and tame pokegirls? I mean.. I know it's a part of the society here, but you know how I feel about the concept.."

The professor sighed and then said what he expected to here, "I can understand your reservations, but you know full well the reasons for why most of the laws are in effect. The domesticated pokegirls are all well and good, but there are a lot more feral ones in wilds that menace towns in general. Then there are the illegal organizations which would steam roll over anyone who stood in there way, should these laws change. At present.. there really is no other alternative, though many of us are working towards changing this."

The man grew quiet and gazed softly at the ceiling. He knew what he had to do, and though it hurt him more than a little to chose this path, his next question was obvious, "When can I start?"

Pirotessa beamed happily at him. Her plans were progressing nicely.

---------------------

Author's notes:

Yes, I am playing fast and loose with a lot of the rules. Yes, it kind of will piss off some die hard pokegirl fans. No, non of my explanations for anything make sense. Yes, these 'youma pokegirls' are in fact not pokegirls. Only the fact that most of the youma and such that showed up in the sailor moon series look female in some fashion, has the populace at large fooled.

Pirotessa and deedlit are actual elves from an alternate universe version of record of lodoss war/ legend of crystania and not pokegirls (i'd hoped this would be obvious in the story.). Yes, the anime and manga did exist in pre-sukebe time in this world.

And finally, no, not all chapters will be this talk heavy. The next one might even manage to have some action, and who knows Scott might finally get laid. Then again, maybe not.

For those who don't see anything wrong with the pokemon/pokemon kick the crap out of something and then capture and force to work for you scenario.. I do. Does this mean I hate the genre, and wouldn't want to ever visit those worlds if they existed.. no it doesn't.

I don't hate the idea of pokegirls it's very clever and interesting. If I wasn't doing a somewhat self-insert I can assure you that the main lead would probably have like five girls by now, unless they too had an aversion to forcing someone to be in their life.


	4. Get a hair cut and a real job

_slam, SLAM!, slam, slam , SLAM!_

Scott stepped back from the training gear and sighed. His sweat pouring down his body and drenching his light clothing. He'd been training for roughly a month here. He had another two weeks to go before he'd paid his debt off and now he'd wished that he hadn't revealed so many of his suspicions to his 'sponsor'.

When he agreed to be a pokegirl adventurer, he never realized that his training would be accelerated heavily. Practically all he did now was training his mind and body. His nominal clerical work job had been given back to the original person who performed that task, and now he was a full time trainee.

Ten hours a day, six days a week. It had been grueling, but he could start to see the difference. It's amazing how hard a body can be worked if they use magic to remove the toxins built up by the activity. The muscles healed on their own and at a much accelerated pace due to this, as well as the diet he'd been placed on.

Four of his hours a day still revolved around history and magic studies, but his physical training still took precedent. He'd be expected to be part of any combat that occurred instead of simply a 'general' barking orders at his troops, like most tamers tend to think of themselves.

While he'd probably never be on par with the girls on his team, he'd at least be able to survive a surprise encounter or two hopefully.

At night he slept with modified teaching machines attached, to reinforce and accelerate his knowledge in certain areas. It took longer due to his human heritage, but they did work. The concept was similar to listening to books on tape while you slept. He'd learned a decent amount of spanish like this back home. Basic, utilitarian spanish, with a poor accent and incomplete sentence structuring skills, but still spanish.

It had taken two weeks to convince him she wasn't trying to brainwash him in his sleep. He still wasn't sure he believed she wasn't. Especially when he learned how to knit and sew overnight. Necessary survival skills his ass.. well sewing is useful and he'd done a bit of that in the army as needed, but was he expected to knit his own clothes in the wild?

Still, the night time subliminal learning had performed it's duty, and his knowledge and such of basic needed skills had grown.He had learned some general survival skills like how to make fires. He knew how to drive several different vehicles, some basic sword styles and combat moves, and his general science, biology and math type educations had increased or been refreshed.

As it turns out, the fact that he'd taken pre-calculus before, even though he'd forgotten most of it, had marked him as highly educated in this world. The science and technology was more advanced, but to be honest.. a lot of people relied heavily on their pokegirls to do everything. Including think for them. Strange then, that pokegirls were considered less intelligent than 'real' people.

Scott gazed at the training machine and nodded. He was done for the day, and the readout display had shown him his improvements and lingering deficiencies. His raw physical strength had slightly more than doubled in the month that he'd trained here. It seemed a little fast to him, but you can do similar back home if all you do is train.

He was a long way from Mr. universe level musculature, and he'd be laughed out of the olympics if he showed up for the weight lifting competition, but still, he could bench three hundred pounds now. His upper body strength had always been lagging before. By the time he was done paying off his debt, he might finally reach the four hundred club. His actual muscles hadn't increased that much in size really. He'd just been getting better at using what he had.

The read-out displayed that he was still only using eighteen percent of his true capacity though. It had raised an entire two percent since his training had started. If he ever made any improvements in those 'chi' classes he had to take, he might be able to use more of his strength.

Most people never realize how strong they really are. Heck even world class body builders and weight lifting olympic gold medalists rarely are able to tap more than twenty to thirty percent of what their bodies can really do.

Scott, shut the machine down and toweled off. He'd hit the showers, get changed and go see the doc to get his body cleansed of the bio-toxins a hard work out produces, and then get some dinner.

Hopefully he'd be allowed to eat real food again soon. The chalky tasting stuff he ate five times a day, was filling and extremely nutritious, but did little to satisfy his taste buds.

-------------------

He was sitting in his room, a reasonably appointed but smallish little room on the eastern side of the research complex, gazing softly at the computer screen again. He'd brought her file up for the tenth time this week. It showed a digital rendition, and bio-specs as well as win loss record, but beyond that the file spoke of nothing about the life and welfare of one Serena Tsukino, now known as 'Usagi'.

The asshole that had legal claim to her life had apparently made her fight eight times this month. She'd lost six of those fights, and been brought badly damaged to the poke-center on five separate occasions. One of which had nothing to do with a prior pokegirl battle.

Scott might have been gazing at the screen softly, but inside his heart and soul seethed. He couldn't stand this attitude people had about pokegirls. Sure, he knew a lot of the feral ones had to be dealt with and some even were killed as a necessity. It wasn't the case with threshold girls though. They all had lived among normal humans all their lives. Yet, they were treated the same as some mindless beast ravaging the forests and towns.

He'd lost track of how many times he'd shed a silent set of tears and softly whispered, "I will set you free again." He felt deeply that he had failed her, and the thought of some sadistic asshole tormenting her and ruining that kind and sweet spirit tore at him deeply.

He had to finish preparing though. He didn't even have a pokegirl team mate yet. His initial training was about to end soon, and his first mission. A simple courier assignment to the town would begin. 'Usagi' was already halfway across the continent though. She would have to hold on till he could come for her.

Besides, if his suspicions about all these youma 'pokegirl' attacks was right, then a lot more was riding on Serena's freedom than simple heartfelt desire not to see her abused. She might just be the only thing that can save this world from utter destruction.

Scott shut down his comp, and settled into bed. Three more days and his debt would be paid. His training ends tomorrow, to give him a few days to rest up and prepare, and then he'd be setting off on his first mission. He'd have to go alone to the town, to deliver a package to the guild office there.

He supposedly would be able to trade his first months pay allotment from them for a 'starter' pokegirl. The concept rather unsettled him and made him mildly nauseas, but he'd go through with it. If he was stuck in such a dark world besotted with intolerance, bigotry and ignorance then he'd have to do his best to make life just a little better for the few people he could help.

---------------------

"So you're ready to go Scott?" asked professor Ophun. She'd checked over his equipment list, and the like and granted him some basic starting gear unique to his new profession.

The man nodded to her after hefting his pack. Despite the number of items inside he'd hefted far heavier in earlier day, or perhaps with all his physical training of late it had simply seemed lighter. He'd spent just a little over a month in solid training and with the accelerated methods they used on him, he'd gotten the same as if he'd worked out for six months at the same pace. He had about three months total worth of various concentrated combat skills on top of that.

Hand to hand combat wise, he'd probably be considered something around the ambiguous 'brown belt' level in the generic basic martial art style they taught there. It seemed rather quick to have reached that level since all he knew of the 'art' before that had been kung fu moves, and his yellow belt in taekwondo, mixed with the tiny amount of army combatives he'd taken for like forty five minutes on the occasional Thursday back on base.

Though, considering he did the equivalent of four to six hours a day six days a week for a month helped him along greatly. It was almost like having a full-time job as a martial arts trainee. Another three months there and he'd of reached master status. In a normal pace with that much training time, it would have taken about two years. The generic art was just a basic one with lots of street fighting tactics thrown in. Proven to be highly effective, but nothing too fancy too it.

Some of the more esoteric arts took a life time to master. Which is why traditional martial arts training had almost died out. They took a lot longer, and with the exception of certain grappling arts, and chi oriented ones, they had proven entirely ineffective against pokegirls.

The modern combat art that was taught now, was about as bare bones as it got, though it proved effective in some situations with very near human, and near human pokegirls. There were certain special schools of the art that focused on particular pokegirl breed types like ponytaur and such, or the dragon type girls, but that wasn't included in the core discipline.

He'd shown his best skills in the use of unarmed combat, staves and to a slightly lesser extent swords. Of course his swordsmanship training had only just begun two weeks ago, so that could account for it.

Professor Ophun heard him mutter once or twice after seeing his gear, and she thought for the life of her he'd said something about being 'level one'. She didn't quite know what he was talking about, but figured it was some obscure reference to his former home life. The only levels she knew of were pokegirl levels, tamer levels (a statistical refference only) and the like. He'd have a guild level as a reference to pay grade and the like, but he wasn't even officially registered at the office yet. He was only on retainer status.

His actual adventurer level wouldn't be decided until he'd been 'classed' and sanctioned.

"Ok.. um.. why is THIS.. in here..?" asked Scott with a straight face. In his hand was a big floppy blue item that greatly resembled the masculine side of the genital arena. For those that don't understand, he was holding a big floppy blue rubber dick.

The curvy professor smirked, "So THAT'S where he got off to.. naughty boy.." before walking over and retrieving her 'precious'.

Scott quirked an eyebrow and fought against the blush creeping up to his cheeks. He wouldn't let himself focus too much on that bit of trivia. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to leave..

"Well.. I should be off.." he said at last, before a slight wave and a down cast look. He was happy to finally be out doing something, but at the same time, he'd gotten comfortable with his routine here. It was a ten mile mini trek to the town, and another three to get to the regional office.

He'd managed to make a similar run in just under three hours back in his army days, and now he was in MUCH better shape. Still, he saw no reason to push himself. He had till tomorrow to get there anyway. If for some ungodly reason he didn't make it, he'd have to wait till next month. Ah well, if it happened he'd just get another month of training. Which honestly wouldn't hurt. He was at minimum standards for entry as it was.

--------------------

Scott got his first good look at a pokegirl world town without an escort four hours later. He'd ended up lightly jogging half of the distance anyway, since he'd wanted to get on with his life.

The 'city' wasn't exactly what Scott was expecting. He was used to large sprawling constructs that ate up vast portions of real estate. This city was more along the lines of a small to moderately sized rural town. Yet, it was considered large in size. It was also touted as the largest and finest city this side of nameless river. The nameless river, called such because no one could decide what it should be called. runs across a quarter of the continent from north to south.

He wandered aimlessly for a little while, soaking up what passed for culture here, as he made his way slowly towards his location. A short thirty minute hike up the small hill that the office rested on later and Scott was staring at the entrance to one of the most dilapadated buildings he'd seen to date.

The wooden door looked like it was about to fall off the frame, and the whole structure creaked when the wind blew. His misgivings about this new 'profession' of his were growing greater by the moment.

Inside all he saw was a desk next to a ladder leading down. Since he saw no one at the desk, he approached to see if anything was useful on it. There were random papers strewn about, and a little handbell.

A helpful sign directed him to ring bell for service, or take the ladder down if a guild member.

Scott shrugged and lifted the little bell, ringing it loudly. He waited a few minutes and heard nothing so he rang it again. A few more minutes and still nothing.

With a small sigh he wandered over to the ladder and climbed down, entering an underground tunnel system that was well lit by electric lighting.

The tunnel system was short with a few guide arrows here and there directing you towards one room or another. The underground complex seemed to be much better appointed than the shack above ground.

Rounding one corner, he came across another desk, this one with a receptionist. Said receptionist was an aging calico colored catgirl. A catgirl that was seemingly asleep.

"Hello, miss?" asked Scott, to the slumbering pokewomon. No answer prompted him to speak louder, but still nothing.

He reached over and shook her, but all that did was cause her to shake a little. There was no waking this chick! On closer inspection he could see some kind of fine powder on her face.

He pulled her head back by the hair and took a good look at the glittering substance and blinked. His recent tutoring immediately recalled the look and nature of some of the poisons random pokegirls used, and this seemed to match with what he considered sleep powder to look like.

Taking a bottle of water from his pack, and a cloth, he soaked it down and then carefully wiped the substance away from her face, getting as much off as he could.

A few minutes later she woke up groggily and wobbled in her seat.

"Excuse me.. miss?" Scott asked again, this time hoping someone would answer. Particularly the someone in front of him.

The catgirl perked up at hearing his voice and then hissed at him. "D-don'tsh come any clowsher..! I'll call shthe pweesh." slurred the sleep drunk pokewomon.

"You might want to anyway! Look. I don't know what's going on here, but when no one answered up top I came down to see about my registration and found you covered in some kind of powder." Said the man, as his hand moved slowly down to the little tube at his hip. His shock stick might not do much, but it's all he had.

The girl wobbled as she tried to get a good look at him. "K.. um.. uh.. " she began as his slurring began to ease off.

Scott squinted at her and moved his hand away. How long had she been out of it? Worse yet, had whatever done this still linger in the building?

"You're a new recruit?" came a masculine voice from behind him.

The man spun around, whipping out his shock stick and preparing himself.

"Whoa! Whoa..! Calm down there man..!" exclaimed the older gentleman. He had a distinguished upper crust sort of look about him, but at his side rested a sword that did not look like decoration.

Scott, eased his stance a little, but didn't turn the power cell to his stick off. "Yeah.. i'm new.. and i'd like to know what's going on here? This girl has been drugged, and I saw no one else around."

The man nodded, as he studied the fresh meat, as he privately considered all raw recruits. His eyebrows rose a little at the strength in his energy signature, but didn't mention anything about that as he spoke, "Yes, I was wandering around here waking everyone up. This installation was recently attacked by a group of rogue tamers calling themselves the 'brotherhood'. They don't seem to be too interested in wholesale slaughter, but don't balk at loosing sleep powder into an air circulation system, and then robbing a place blind."

Scott squinted at the man. "If that's the case, then how come this girl behind me only had powder on her face?" he asked, while the catgirl in question wobbled and fell over again hitting her head on the table with a meaty thwack.

"I found three others like her. Apparently when they came through after most of the staff passed out, they 'dusted' anyone that resisted the diluted effects from earlier." responded the man.

Scott nodded to himself, but he still didn't completely buy the story. How did this guy know all this?

The man picked up on Scott's disbelieving expression and using a minor pyschic talent for empathy discerned what he was about to ask and beat him too it. "They left a note."

"Heh, nice of em..."

--------------------

Scott sat in his room at the guild and pondered his new assignment. He'd delivered his package, which turned out to be his recruitment packet among other things. It still counted as a mission though, so he had been given a mission point towards increasing his adventurer level.

The old man was generous and designated another point to him for helping the receptionist out. His questioning of the old fart, plus the help granted to the girl counted as a support role even if it wasn't solicited.

After everyone woke up, he was rushed through processing that afternoon, since they'd be closing down registration early this month. Normally it was open for the last three days of the month, but the assault had put everything out of whack. He'd be the last applicant till the end of next month.

Scott gazed at his memo sheet, and info packet for his upcoming mission. He was supposed to escort a local scientist to the 'Ophun reasearch institue.' So his very first mission.. was to backtrack to where he came from. Oh well, easy credits.

He glanced at his pay grade and classification information and chuckled. He was classed and then sub-classed due to his prior military training and lack of special abilities or blood gifts. He was a melee fighter, with the sub-class of soldier. His payrate was basically the same as he'd been getting from the dimensionally dispossessed dark elf hottie he worked for.

The man was relieved and at the same time disappointed that he couldn't get a starter pokegirl right now. He'd been offered the only pokegirl who hadn't been stolen, but he wasn't too fond of the snorlass type in general. Plus he'd barely cover his own food expenses as it is.

He still had his starter pokeball though, so who knew maybe something would turn up.

----------------

Well, there we go for chapter five. Nothing majorly interesting I might suppose, but all the little incidentals are finally taken care of and the story can truly begin. hehe.

To those who despise me for writing an alternate universe story.. I'll live. I couldn't do this story idea in the pokegirl 'canon' universe because it would screw up the timeline and everything. So I made a pokegirl sailormoon fusion and added some random things I was interested in doing into the mix.

The adventurer's guild for instance doesn't exist in the standard pokegirl timeline. I might write another story soon, but since I prefer to only do self-insertion stories to story ideas I don't see done to death, I don't know.

The alternate universe, and self-inserts are pretty much all I write for fanfiction, since my time for 'fun writing' is limited and my other writing is mainly to get paid for. :)


	5. Blond ambition

On the road back to the research center, Scott's mission was to escort one Theodore Bates to see a former colleague of his, one Analise Ophun. That Scott knew the way well and happened to be on very good terms with the person the elderly doctor was trying to meet worked well for both of them.

They chatted amiably as they wandered with excruciating slowness down the long and winding road back to the institute.

The older man refused to ride in a grav car, sighting that he wasn't too old to walk a few miles. Scott on the other hand wondered at the state of the old fossil's sanity. He was in his late seventies, and wanted to walk ten miles?

The old man moved slow, but he didn't seem to tire. It made Scott wonder if the old fart had a bloodgift for endurance or something. It would make sense. He could keep going for a long time, even if not that fast.

The bright shinning day, continued on lazily for the first four miles or so. Scott spent much of this time musing, chatting amiably with the elderly proffesor or tapping his knew gear.

He'd signed up for the beginning adventurer's packet for the soldier 'class'. He was granted a loan of gear and equipment in lieu of a stater pokegirl since he couldnt acquire one for a good while, form the guild.

He'd gotten some light cerametal full body armor, a carbon steel blade, and a pokepack, that he stored all his gear in. The pokepack was actually slightly heavier than his original pack, but it had much better capacity for storing equipment.

They didn't have any firearms on hand at the time, so he was out of luck for a few months in that department.

He was also bequeathed a selection of random healing potions, ointments, cremes, and what nots.

He'd paid off a large chunk of the debt incurred by all this with his first month's pay, and settled in to make payments on the rest by being garnished half his wages till it was paid off.

The bill had come up to roughly two hundred and forty-seven thousand credits. Just under twenty five hundred bucks back home. He'd be losing half his wages for another two months to finish paying it off, but it was worth it. He hated the idea of a combat situation without proper gear.

A Tee-shirt and a weak version of a tazer didn't quite mesh with the dangers inherent in the world around him.

His pokedex fitted into a slot in his pack, and the pack itself was attached to his armor in such a way that it linked up with a heads up display in his helmet. The whole ensemble made him look like a black variant of a storm trooper. Not his first choice for armor appearance, but it was decent and workable.

The whole armor rated as a ten in defense, which brought his defensive powers to a grand total of fourteen. He could take a decent bit of damage, and the suit was self repairing when placed inside the pokepack. Any truly powerful pokegirl could crush him though.

He was musing on the new particulars in his life, when his life again abruptly changed.

Scott stumbled forward as a solid object impacted the back of his helmet with enough force to lightly crack the tough material. His vision swimming slightly, he whipped around to face the threat, his Carbon steel blade coming free from it's sheathe.

In front of him, was a terror. A nightmare of filthy matted seemingly blond hair, horrible scratches, dried blood and fierce blue eyes. A night terror wielding a fraying rope with a rusted metal hook on the end.

With a furious screech of rage, the pokegirl leapt forward whipping the hook at the man again, with a speed and fierocity he barely managed to avoid.

"Professor Bates! Get down!." screamed the man while trying to dodge another hook strike, this time less successfully. A chunk of his chest plate was stripped off, but nothing worse.

His scanning equipment was telling him something unusual. To his gear, she seemed to be considered a 'slicer'. Since when did slicers use rope and hook weapons?

"Sli!" screamed the girl, this time whipping low and twisting. Scott managed to leap over the wide angled sweep, but it clipped the bottom of his armored foot and he fell hard to the ground.

With a primal scream of rage from the slicer the hook was whipped down from overhead with all the force of a sledgehammer wielded by a carnival strong man. His armor was damaged and tiny spider web cracks skittered out from the foot wide point of impact.

Momentarily stunned with the wind driven from him, Scott was helpless as the girl ran up and began beating on him with fists that seemed far too small and delicate to harm anything, much less deliver the brutal punishment he was receiving.

Professor bates cowered behind a nearby tree, unable to do anything as he watched the horrifying display. He was far too old to try and escape if his young escort was defeated.

"Slicer! Sli!" screamed the girl, this time lifting him up to peer into her feral eyes. Scott stared into those animal eyes, wondering if there was anything vaugely human inside of her.

"Cer.. slice slicer.." muttered the girl as she poked at his helmet, tapped his armor, and in general disapproved.

Scott knew he was in trouble, but wasn't sure what to do about it. He was racking his brain to remember something, anything, about feral slicers. Her old rope came into view a moment later and he knew what he had to do. If it didn't work, then he was fairly screwed, figuratively and quite possibly literally as well.

Well at least there was one good thing. Even if she killed him, she wasn't likely to eat him.

While she kept poking and prodding at his armor, apparently trying to figure out how to get it off, Scott was sneaking his hand down to a knife he had strapped to his thigh armor.

Gripping the handle firmly, he whipped it out and slammed the hilt into her rib, before rolling with her to force her onto her side. While she beat on him with a force her smallish frame belied, he was trying to grab her rope.

They broke apart after about a minute of struggling, both more than a little battered,

The feral pokegirl widened her eyes almost comically when she saw what was in her opponents grasp. Her beloved and only friend.

Scott sighed behind the cracked heads up display on his helmet and raised the knife to the heavily frayed rope. Every move she made towards him he rewarded with a slight cut to the rope and a head shake.

The girl sank to her knees and tears began forming in her eyes. A soft wail of grief erupted from her at the treatment of her most precious and only friend.

Scott seeing this, began to lose his resolve. Sure she'd attacked him, and badly damaged his gear, but is it really her fault? She's barely more than a wild animal like this, but she still feels.

He had intended to cut the rope and leave her here while he and the old man escaped but he couldn't do it.

"Sliiiiii..cerer..sliii cerer.." cried the girl softly one hand occasionally reaching out to the rope.

The man found his heart going out to the girl. He thought about it and realized that if she was out here like this then she had no one else in the world. She was utterly alone and all she had in this life was a piece of rope with a hook on it.

He gazed at her softly, though his armor made him look far more sinister. Being covered head to foot in black cerametal armor tended to be rather intimidating.

"This rope..means that much to you?" He asked softly to the girl. His tone neutral, calming,

"slic.." said the girl looking up sadly with a sniffle, a forlorn set to her eyes.

Scott made a show of holding it up higher and tilting his head, as though looking at it. His eyes never left the girl though, his helmet hiding this fact.

The girl's lower lip quivered slightly and she started to make a move for it again, but Scott raised the knife and shook his head.

She started rocking with her arms around her knees.

Scott nodded and said. "If you promise not to attack us anymore, i'll give it back."

The girl blinked and stared at him, before slowly nodding. She could have her friend back? He'd stop hurting her like this..?

"Ok, i'll return this to you, however let me ask you one more question?"

The girl squinted at him. She had trouble understanding some of what he was saying, she'd been in the woods so long. Her memories were fuzzy, and all she knew was that she needed her weapon. It was the only thing that ever cared about her.

"Do you want to stop living in the woods like this? I'll ask you only once if you want to come with me. I need someone strong to join me and be part of my team. You'll be able to eat frequently, have a roof over your head and people that love you." said Scott, as the man hoped she understood him. There was no telling whether she knew how to respond to things like verbal communication. Feral pokegirls usually, from what he's read, aren't really capable of higher thought. They were creatures of emotion, though some might understand you, they could only say their type name.

She gaped at him, a loose strand of filthy blond hair slipping down the side of her face. Before she could answer, Scott removed the knife from the rope and walked slowly towards the down trodden girl.

With no seeming fear, though honestly he was trembling inside his armor, he knelt down to be at her eye level. She turned her head away and whispered, "sli.." He raised one hand and triggered the removal mechanism for his helmet.

His brown eyes met her blue ones and this time she didn't look away.

Scott and the feral pokegirl gazed at each other a moment. Then he spoke again. "I don't know how much you understand of what i'm saying, but I hope you can tell i'm sincere. You have attacked me without cause, but that is easily forgiven. I want good things for you, and I know a place nearby where you will be cared for, loved, and treasured as the beautiful person you truly are."

The girl's eyes misted over again and she looked down at the rope in his hands. Then she looked back up at him. Dare she hope that such a thing be true?

Fighting every murderous and amorous urge inside of her, she slowly nodded and said, "Slicer..."

Scott smiled at her, a warm and tender smile that caused her to sniffle a little and then ever so tremorously to quirk her lips up in a modest smile of her own.

The man slowly raised his gloved hand to her cheek and she leaned into it closing her eyes and mumbling softly. A moment later he drew her in for a warm and loving hug. The poor benighted soul needed such a tender moment almost desperately, and honestly, so did the pokegirl. "Never be alone again..", he said softly.

To be honest, it was hard to tell whether he meant her, or him.

-----------

Yeah a fairly short chapter. lol. Oh and for those that think Scott might be overpaid, I want to point out that SLC or (credits) are roughly equivalent to one hundred equal a dollar.(I kept that true in this alternate pokegirl universe) After taxes, and guild fees, his monthly allotment would be just over a thousand bucks worth. You'd divide that by thirty to see how much he's paid a day, and well.. does he sound even remotely overpaid now? If anything he might need a part time job. hehe.

As to those who cry 'foul' that the slicer in this story uses a rope and hook instead of a stick or sword, I point out that slicers can use any weapon that is hand held in either one or two hands. There is also a very good reason why she sub-conciously chose this weapon.

Starts singing off-key "Fightin evil by moon light.. winnin love by day light.. she'll never stop for a red light! She's the one named..."

Well no she's not.. BUT if you know the sailor moon series then you know who the new pokegirl in Scott's life is.


	6. Taming of the screwball

Random disclaimer: I'm not taking liberties with anything except for everything I write about in this story. I own nothing except for Scott, a few crappy pokegirl additions that no one else should use because they're idiotic and rather pointless, and the computer I write all this one.

For good lemony fresh pokegirl stories look elsewhere. I write erotic fiction, but since I don't see myself posting this particular story anywhere but on I can't really fulfill the fan-service needs. The story rating is solely for language and graphically depicted violence. Through in sexual innuendo and concepts and there we have it.

Feel free to flame and critique me here, since I generally enjoy knowing how much I suck.

Chapter 6: Taming of the screwball.

Professor Ophun clicked onto the interleague website and began filtering through the pages until she found the update section. She needed to fill in Scott's licensing information as well as annotate some previous discoveries she'd made in true human genetic capacities.

After a few moments of click-clacking keys, she glanced over at the timer and quirked an eyebrow. The pokegirl her 'black knight' had brought back was still in her healing cycle. She'd have to check into that, as she hadn't seemed to be damaged enough to warrant four hours.

"Hmm.." said the curvy dark elf in disguise as she noted an incoming mission request for her knight. "Another bodyguard mission? Interesting..."

-----

Scott woke up groggily and winced as he felt the pain in his chest. A minor healing spell had been cast on him when he'd returned to his bosses house, but apparently he'd earned himself a stress fracture in that fight with the slicer.

The cure spell is great for minor wounds, and such light damage, but it was all soaked up by reknitting the bone, and there was still moderate bruising about the area.

"Six hours..?" grunted Scott as he read the glowing green digital read out of his alarm clock.

How could one fight take so much out of him?

He grunted his way out of way and tiredly staggered his way to his bathroom and loudly relieved himself, enjoying it like it'd been the best thing to ever happen to him.

Brrrrt..Brrrt..Brrrata

"What the fuck..?" muttered the man to himself as he flushed the toilet and walked naked over to the origin of the noise.

A red e-mail symbol was showing on his computer screen.

Shrugging to himself he clicked on the image and Analise popped up on screen. "Scott, you have a...oh.. my.."

The man blinked tiredly at her for a moment and wondered why she seemed to be staring at him. Reality slowly caught up with his as his brain began processing at normal non-groggy speeds and he glanced down.

He considered covering himself up in embarassment but then mentally shrugged. Serves her right for teasing him with that water bottle the other day.

"Yeah p-chan do you need something from me?" asked Scott with a groggy nod. He'd started calling her that at random times supposedly due to there being another professor on the premises. Despite her claim that he could simply call her Analise.

The dimensionally relocated dark elf did her best not to flush at her young knight's upright and stalwart sword. "Uh.. yes.. well.. Oh! You have a mission assignment. It just cum.. came in."

Scott smirked at her a little and for no apparent reason acted hyper and started bouncing around a little. "Really?! I get to go do stuff and things!"

Professor Ophun cleared her throat and averted her eyes 'slightly' and replied, "Yes.. um.. so feel free to come by the office after you've checked your mail... preferably garbed appropriately for the occasion.."

The naked man smirked down at the digitally displayed professor and nodded before flexing, "Sure, i'd do 'anything' for you professor."

"Uhh.. yes, anyway.. do that.. i'll be waiting.."

----------------

Professor bates tapped the vial in front of him and peered curiously, his head tilted to the side. "So this is the blood of a purely human male."

This was like some fantastic and wonderful dream to the elderly gentleman. Scott, a man from another world was one of the extremely rare full blooded humans. There were at least a half dozen dimensional shift cases in any given year, but of those it was usually someone from a parallel pokegirl timeline or universe.

There were currently only twelve known living human beings in the entire world that had no pokegirl blood in them at all. Scott was the only one in this league at present.

The league officials had been up in arms at first that he wouldn't relent to be treated as a lab rat and guinea pig instead of choosing a more active profession.

The good professor couldn't blame him though. He was obviously a man of action. The fight he'd witnessed between the dimensionally displaced man and the pokegirl that had attacked proved that.

"Fascinating that a man with no pokegirl traits or bloodgifts could fight off a pokegirl." wondered the old man aloud. It wasn't that unexpected though. Human soldiers during the war had fought off the invading armies of pokegirls with their high tech weapons, armor, and solid team work.

Sure, human civilization fell to ruins, but things could have been a lot worse for everyone.

The old man's eyes glistened with tears that had not been shed in years. "Pure human blood. At last, my life's work might be complete. If i'm right.. if i'm right."

The professor went back to work mapping the human genetic code. Several years might pass before his work came to completion, but in time who knew whether his life long dream of the complete separation of human and pokegirl genes in a gene map would be complete. Perhaps threshold could be halted completely, and no one would end up like his daughter.

------------

"So, i'm going to be guarding a research team excavating dinosaur fossils in the abados caves?" asked Scott Rhetorically to himself while he finished getting dressed. The mission had a three star danger level, which meant he would probably see a bit of combat.

Apparently strange creatures kept showing up every time a team went down. From the description they reminded him a little of goblins and kobolds from his D&D days. Weird, but, eh. He'd get combat pay at least.

He was supposed to head over to the train station tomorrow. The guild had secured him passage to the town of Futlong. A small rural community that was only a few miles from the cave system. The town had been on alert ever since some of those strange critters had attacked a few outlying farms, stealing the cows, and even killing one of the farmers children.

What caused Scott some minor bit of concern was that technically this mission was outside his supposed allowed mission parameters. He was supposed to be stuck with two star and below missions until his guild apprenticeship was over and he could gain true adventurer status.

It didn't worry him too much though. It sure beat package delivery.

A few minutes later, he walked into Analise's normally well ordered office. He'd been in here often enough and was surprised to find a frayed partially cut rope with a rusty hook, coiled up on her desk.

The dark elf in human disguise squinted at him a moment and ten smirked, "A bit more clothed that last time I see."

"No need to sound disappointed." said Scott in return before glancing down at the rope again.

The professor chuckled softly and then nodded. "Yes, that is her rope. You'll have to get her a new weapon soon. That thing will fall apart if she tries to use it in another battle."

Scott nodded. "How is she?"

"Horny, and still in a mild feral state but a little more lucid. You'll have to take care of that issue before you two head out." grinned the professor naughtily. The sight of his blush rising and the way he lightly flared his nose was just so adorable to the normally jaded dark elf. These humans weren't all that bad when they didn't act like the gods' gift to the world.

"Uh.. heh.. yeah.. I guess I should." murmured the man. He'd hoped to put this sort of thing off as long as he could. Apparently that wouldn't be the case anymore. He'd made a promise to the poor girl, and now he'd have to make good on it.

"Where can I get her a weapon? I didn't explore the town all that thoroughly, and the guild shop didn't have any rope and hook or chain weapons. I could get her a sword I suppose, but she probably chose this type of thing subconsciously for a reason." explained and asked Scott all at the same time.

Analise nodded and said, "They might have something in Futlong. Otherwise, she might just have to end up making due with a sword if this breaks. Otherwise she'll end up with a much shorter rope."

Scott watched curiously as Professor Ophun reached into her desk and pulled out a pokeball. "Well.. here she is. Do be a gentleman, won't you?"

The man nodded and flushed lightly. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

-----

Analise clicked onto the image of the security cam for Scott's room. She was curious as to how a man from another world would perform as a pokegirl tamer. It was just for scientific curiousity of course.. nothing more.

Scott's voice cam over the computer speaker's "I'll just release her here I guess.. I'll explain the situation, and maybe she'll understand me enough that she can make a decision on what she wants with her life.. Yeah.. that's what i'll do."

The good professor grinned again. Boy was he in for a shock.

She broke out into a fit of laughter when a moment later he tossed the ball and before he'd finished saying "Hello" He'd been tackled to the floor with an emotionally confused but extremely excited pokegirl attempting to 'get to know him'.

"But..We can talk first..!" exclaimed Scott as he flailed around trying to dislodge the attractive amorous critter.

The professor's laughter pealed throughout her office as the girl stopped, stared him in the eyes and said, "Slicer." in a tone that brooked no arguments.

Scott visibly winced, and Analise began crying due to her laughing so hard. "You tell him!" she tittered as she began to calm down. That slicer was very adamant. She was getting what she wanted and he needed to shut up and let it happen.

Another gale of laughter erupted from the office when, "B-but.. I thought I was supposed to be the one taming YOU." warbled hopelessly out of the computer system.

Several of the lab assistants, hearing all the commotion came to invesitgate, and soon a half dozen elven females had begun laughing so hard that their human and pokegirl disguises failed on them. They just couldn't concentrate.

It didn't help matters a moment later when he shouted, "Don't grab those so hard!"

Followed by, "STOP BITING THAT!"

--------------

Whelp there's chapter six finally. Honestly i'm considering taking a few of these chapters and shoving them together into a much larger file. It would make for a much better reading experience I think.

Anyway, from here on i'll add pokegirl stats and the like. They hadn't been too important earlier in the story, but they are now.

I'll also add character specific stats right after the type name. If the character is integral to the story, or has unique or uncommon abilities. Otherwise treat them in your mind as 'standard.'

SLICER, the Swordswoman Pokegirl

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Normal/Fighting

Frequency:Uncommon (Crimson League)

Diet: human diet

Role: fencers, frontline fighters

Libido: Average

Strong Vs: Normal, Magic

Weak Vs: Ghost, Psychic

Attacks: Slash, Swordwave, Deflect, Counter

Enhancements: Proficiency with any bladed weapon or anything longer than one foot.

Evolves: Gladiatrix (Round Stone), Valkyrie (battle stress), Ronin (normal), or Piratit (Water Stone)

Evolves From: None

Slicers appear to be like normal women with some small deviations. Their average height is between 4'8" and 6'1". Their hair colors are generally a random color, but generally within the primary, secondary or tertiary colors. More common human hair colors like silver, grey, brown and black are actually quite rare among Slicers. Their irises are generally a solid color with the pupils being a slightly darker variant of the iris color. This may throw people off at first, as most people are used to seeking black pupils in eyes.

The main oddity amongst 30 of all Slicers is that their arms and fingers may appear thin and delicate, but remain as strong as normal arms. This can sometimes be quite the surprise to opponents, who believe the thinner arms means they are weak.

Slicers are adept at using any weapon that can be wielded with one or two hands, but most prefer using light-weight swords, such as rapiers, short swords or even daggers. When it comes to sword mastery, they are second to few, save their evolutionary sisters, Herowu and Armsmistresses.

Unlike Amazonwus or Herowus, though, they do not lose their fighting skill while feral. Instead, they lose confidence. A Feral Slicer is more likely to run if disarmed or caught offguard.

The difference between the Feralborn and domesticate born is that the Feralborn usually have to find a weapon. Most wind up with a branch, but some have been known to steal weapons from towns. Tamers can sometimes get a feralborn Slicer to join them by offering a sword as a gift. Domesticates generally save up money and buy their own sword, but getting the weapon enchanted can be quite the turn-on for any Slicer.

If a Slicer's weapon of choice breaks, she usually mourns it as most people mourn friends. Most ferals and quite a few domesticates will insist on a proper burial for the weapon. The only times when she does not request a burial is if she believed the weapon to be inferior (i.e. a branch she grabbed simply because it was close, but it only blocked a single attack before breaking).

While their attacks can affect Ghost or Psychic pokegirls, they take double damage from psychic or ghost attacks.

Once a Slicer (or any swordsman) achieves a certain level of mastery or skill, they can use a Swordwave. This technique is similar to a vacuum cut. In layman's terms, it's a force that can cut or tear without the need of contact between solid matter. Swordwaves can also be used to knock people out. Swordwaves can be used with any weapon the user can swing, even if it is not a sword or even a traditional weapon.

---

The Blonde pokegirl Scott is currently being tamed by will have her actual stats posted next chapter. She is a slicer, but the generic type information is just that. Generic.

Since I haven't officially released her name yet, we can't very well know enough about her to catalog her skills and abilities can we?

She'll have some minor differences in attack skills though, as she doesn't use a sword at present.

-----

Type: Near Human Metamorph/Very Near Human

Element: Flying/Magic (Celestial)

Frequency: Very Rare

Diet: human style foods, vegetarian

Role: aerial scout and shock troop

Libido: Average

Strong Vs: Bug, Fighting, Normal, Dark

Weak Vs: Electric, Poison, Water

Attacks: Gust, Psi-blade, Mana Bolt, Shield, Dazzle

Enhancements: Limited Metamorph - can manifest wings or dismiss them at need. Affinity: Magic. Efficient digestive and immune system. Low feral state resembles that of an Ingenue.

Evolves: Fallen Angel (major trauma/bad experiences; Dark Stone will greatly increase the chances, but isn't needed)

Evolves From: any Blessed Pokégirl (Angel Stone)

Angels are something of a mystery. Not because they set out to be mysterious or anything, but simply because they tend to be aloof or quiet. Though not shy, Angels usually only speak when they feel there is something that needs to be said and have great difficulty with such things as "small talk" or "chatting". In spite of this, Angels are very caring and prone to sudden displays of affection, that can sometimes catch their tamers off guard. Even when they are not given the Alpha position, Angels look after their harem-sisters and will rebel against cruel, abusive tamers, often resulting in the death of either the Angel or the tamer. Fortunately, this barely ever happens, since it is almost impossible for cruel or abusive tamers to catch an Angel.

Although Angels make fine warriors, they loathe violence, considering it evil. A necessary evil, perhaps, but an evil all the same. As stated before, they will fight in the defense of someone else, but persuading them to fight for any other reason is usually difficult.

Recently, certain sections of the Church of a Thousand Gods are trying to spread the belief that Angels aren't 'just' Pokégirls with wings, but messengers from the Divine. Such priest or priestesses claim that their dislike of violence, their protection of the weak and the defenseless and their almost indiscriminate care for life are examples the Divine wants all to follow. So far, no Angel has commented on these beliefs one way or the other, although they do tend to smile whenever they hear about them.

Physically, all Angels are beautiful. They look like gorgeous regular women, but with the addition of very soft, very large, white wings. However, due to their aloof nature, this flawless beauty often seems like that of a statue - perfect, but not quite real. Their hair is usually long and blonde, although some Angels have been known to cut it short or dye it in a different color. Those Angels have never given an explanation for this, but presumably they just think it's pretty.

All Angels wear clothes and, in fact, insist upon it. Any tamer who tries to force an Angel to be naked outside of taming can count on a very lengthy argument about the inherent immorality of public indecency. Taking away their clothes doesn't help either, since Angels are capable of taking clothes out of thin air (nobody really knows how, but this is probably done by magic). The type of clothes they wear speaks volumes about the Angel's mindset. An Angel that wears near-transparent robes that would be befitting of Paradise is likely to be more caring of others and will have difficulty understanding why people can be cruel or evil. An Angel wearing 'street clothes', on the other hand, will likely assume that most people aren't exactly the purest souls around and will have come to the conclusion that the meek really do need all the protection they can get.

---

Serena/usagi (from sailor moon) is this type pokegirl in this story. Sure I started her out with a high powered pokegirl type, but her naievety and innocence sort of 'dumb' that down a bit right now. Plus she's currently being forced to fight and other things for a guy who is a complete tool.

Her stats will also be shown later, much later.

----

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Magic

Frequency: Uncommon (Most of the world), Very Rare (Edo League)

Diet: Human-style

Role: Amateur magic-users

Libido: Average mainly, gets High when they're excited

Strong Vs: Ghost, Fighting

Weak Vs: Psychic, Magic, Water, Fire

Special Weakness: Ticklish, green-skinned witches have severe water allergy

Attacks: Spellwork, Witch's Curse, Barrier, Aura Barrier, Mystic Bolt, Mana Bolt, Power Bolt, Reflect

Enhancements: Magical Affinity

Evolves: Sorceress (normal), Enchantress (Moon Stone), Elementalist (Angel Stone, Dark Stone, Diamond Stone, Fire Stone, Heavy Metal, Ice Crystal, Leaf Stone, Mana Crystal, Psi Crystal, Thunder Stone, Venom Stone or Water Stone), Tick-Tock (Dream Stone)

Evolves From: None

Witches are how almost every magic-user Pokégirl starts out. They can use only low level spells and Magic Techniques, but they are generally useful for those wanting to start out with magic Pokégirls. Witches are low in all-around power, but they are usually attuned to a particular sort of magic. They have little in the way of magical strength but can usually be counted on to have some minor tricks that make them useful in day-to-day affairs.

This is not to say that there are not risks in having a Witch Pokégirl.

Witches tend to be extreme in everything. Whether it's being pissed, battling, or Taming, they go at it with gusto and THEN SOME, encouraging their Tamer and Harem sisters to do the same. Most Tamers tend to want a more mild-mannered girl, but the growing few able to cope, though, find witches to be very useful, their powers capable of defeating Pokégirls that most would consider to be out of their weight class. Because of their tendency to overcompensate in, well, everything, a proverb has arisen. It goes: "Only a Witch could want to kiss you and kill you at the same time." This is most certainly true, as Witches sometimes find themselves frustrated with their Tamer's inability to keep up with them.

Their Witch's Curse attack causing completely and totally random things to happen, and not always for the Tamer's benefit. Fortunately, the effects are low-level and amount to nothing more than light slapstick humor for the most part.

There are rumors, though, of a Witch who wears scarlet, a Witch whose powers are strong enough to change the world entirely. All Witches scorn this rumor, however discreet observations have noted that the vast majority of them, especially older Witches, are afraid of the color red…

As an interesting side note, a Witch's Magical Affinity makes their skin much more sensitive, making them very ticklish and easily satisfied during Taming. It also makes them near useless in Sex Battles, but as they will state (very loudly, especially after being defeating by a Sex Attack), "That's not the kind of battles we're meant for, dammit! RRAGH!"

Also, never EVER accuse them of being Infernal. Doing so will get you a firecracker down the front of your pants. Most Witches have an almost instinctual hatred of Infernals, possibly stemming from a mystically-induced race memory of pre-Sukebe Salem. Frequently, when around an Infernal, they can be heard grumbling and occasionally muttering the words 'insult' and Salem.

Witches are a relatively common Threshold for the children of magic-type Pokégirls.

Side Note: Sometimes a Witch will be born with green skin. They usually have shorter tempers and meaner dispositions than their normal-colored comrades, and tend frequently to be found in Team Rocket-style groups, leading some to term them 'Wicked Witches.' They have a SEVERE skin allergy to water, as in being exposed to too much of it will result in severe rashes and painful boils growing on their skin. They can still drink it, however, as the allergy is just on their skin. Those affected describe the effect as feeling like they are melting. As such, 'Wicked' Witches quickly learn spells to keep themselves clean, as they don't have any other means of bathing…

---

The pokegirl, 'Charlene' that works as the pokegirl antagonist in the first chapter is this type.

She's a fairly mean spirited but mostly standard pokegirl of this type. Her mana bolts can be infused with fire though, as she's practiced that one attack extensively almost to the exclusion of almost everything else.


	7. Warm Welcome

Scott glanced down at the boarding pass in his hand, and settled in to wait for the train to arrive. It was already a half hour late, but that was fine. It gave him time to rethink what he discussed with P-chan this morning.

His test scores had finally come back. The comparison's between his statistics when he first arrived and what he rated as now where startling to him. His physical attributes were all above the human average, in the mid teens. He noted that they had a system that seemed fairly similar to old D&D scores.

Though the scoring system had a twenty point max for normal human development instead of eighteen. Ten being the average for a healthy fit human being. His lowest score was a thirteen, and that was for agility.

He chuckled to himself at that. It certainly explained why he hadn't been able to avoid many of Minako's attacks.

What really astonished him though was his intelligence, charisma, and will scores. Somehow he'd rated in the high teens. He'd known he was fairly intelligent back home, but somehow his IQ must have increased a bit since getting here.

His magical and psychic potential rated at least as high as a lesser first tier magic or psychic pokegirl. Though for some reason he couldn't quite manage to use spells or psionic skills. There seemed to be something missing.

He'd memorized the spells, and knew the right imagery to use. His scores showed a great deal of potential talent. Yet, he could not manifest any usable skills.

The good professor theorized that maybe he just needed more life experience, or to keep trying. There may even be some sort of psychic baggage blocking his ability.

Scott had thought about it himself, and began wondering if maybe it was because all the spells here were used by pokegirls and thus had a sort of wave length requiring pokegirl DNA to be usable readily.

It kind of reminded him of the difference between monsters and player characters in roleplaying games. The monsters gained spells and abilities naturally based on race, whereas humans and player characters generally had to learn them.

He hypothesized that maybe that Sukebe dude ingrained the magical and psychic abilities of random mosters from some of these worlds into the pokegirls and that was why they gained spells and abilities naturally. Their human genes would allow them to learn other skills too.

Analise's 'Black knight' sighed to himself. He reread his report as it filtered across his h.u.d. He seemed to have an affinity for white magic, and elemental energies.

He should have the capacity to learn spells. Yet, he just could not manage to use them.

It was annoying the hell out of him, and caused him enough distraction that he entirely missed the arrival of the train.

The blast of the horn sounded several minutes later, startling him a little.

-----

**Minako **

_**SLICER, the Swordswoman Pokégirl**_

**Age:**18

**Level 1**

**Experience:**213

**Experience to next level: **27

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Normal/Fighting

**Frequency**: Uncommon (Crimson League)

**Diet**: human diet

**Role**: fencers, frontline fighters

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Normal, Magic

**Weak Vs**: Ghost, Psychic

**Abilities:** Weighted rope/chain LVL 3. Swordsmanship LVL 2, first aid (basic), cooking (basic), Scholastics (intermediate)

**Attributes**

**Hp:**29

**Chi:**54

**Mp:**12

**Psi:**7

**Attack rating: **34

**Defense rating: **15

**Strength:**22

**Agility:**19

**Endurance:**19

**Speed:**21

**Intelligence:**16

**Wisdom:**12

**Will:**14

**Charisma:**19

**Current Attacks**: Swing lvl 2, trip (basic), counter, deflect

**Enhancements**: Proficiency with any bladed weapon or anything longer than one foot.

**Evolves**: Gladiatrix (Round Stone), Valkyrie (battle stress), Ronin (normal), or Piratit (Water Stone)

**Evolves From**: None

**Equipment:**Rope and hook (main weapon), Street clothes, One pair black jeans, one white tee-shirt. Sneakers.

A slicer found in the forest surrounding the Ophun Research Institute. She was an orphan raised in the local pokekit orphanarium.

She Stands at five feet, six inches, has golden-blond hair, blue eyes, C-cup Breasts, and a perky disposition. She varies from the slicer norm in two difinitive ways.

She uses a weighted rope and hook as her main weapon style, and her libido seems to be set on high status as opposed to the average.

Her owner theorizes that she simply wants to show her affection for him, due to he previous feral experience and she will probably calm down in the near future.

---

Scott clicked off his display after he read Minako's information. It all seemed a little different than the stories he'd read back home. Much more detailed. A few things nagged him though.

He thought all pokegirls were a great deal stronger than a normal human. True, from her stats she did have a very high starting base and two attributes above the supposed human maximum. Still, you'd think they'd have an entirely different rating system.

He glanced down at her pokeball in his hand and sighed. He wanted to release her to have someone to talk to, but he knew as soon as he did she'd be all over him.

While he didn't mind this at all, it could become quite distracting.

He had another six hours though until they arrived, so he might as well get to know her a bit better.

"Minako, come on out." he said simply before tossing her ball over to the seat across from him. A red flash of light erupted outwards and the amorous blond girl blinked sleepily. The grogginess wore off immediately though as she spied the black armored form across from her.

"Master!" squealed the girl happily as she leaped across to land happily in his lap.

Scott flushed a little inside his helmet, and stroked her hair lightly as she snuggled into him. Sure his armor might not be the cuddliest thing in the world, but she didn't seem to care.

"How are you feeling this morning Mina?" he asked her softly. His electronically synthesized voice causing her to lean back and look at him.

She beamed happily at him. "I'm good! Um.. master..."

Scott winced a little. He didn't know about this whole, 'master', business. He'd tried to get her to use his name, but she seemed stuck in master mode for now. "Yeah?"

"Um... could you take that off?" she asked cautiously while pointing at his helmet. She hoped she wasn't overstepping herself. She might have grown up as a pokegirl, but she'd never been tamed or had a tamer. Thus, the reason she'd been feral in the first place.

Scott smiled to himself and nodded. The clasps detached themselves, and he removed his 'brain-bucket' revealing his slightly red face to the girl.

"Master are you sick..? Your face is so red!" exclaimed the girl in concern.

"Uh.. no no.. I'm good. heh.. it's just.. the way the helmet sits... is all." he lied somewhat convincingly.

"Ohhh." she said, before she smiled and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly on the cheek. Her arms slipped around his neck and he rubbed her back softly.

He knew what she'd want next, but he tried to keep them in this innocent snuggle as long as possible. Long as possible, turned out to be about eight minutes.

"Master...how long is this train ride?"

Scott sighed and said, "Another five hours or so.. and PLEASE call me something besides master?"

"Good! We have time then!" she exclaimed giddily, ignoring the rest of his statement.

The man shook his head to himself and smiled. She'd be the death of him yet, but what a way to go!

A few minutes later, the cabin was littered with pieces of armor and discarded clothing.

------------------------

"So, when's this guy supposed to get here?" asked a green haired ingenue to her harem sister, a pidgy.

The bird pokegirl shrugged and said, "When the train gets here I guess. It's running late."

The very near human pokegirl sighed and twirled her hair a little. Waiting around for these adventurer types was getting annoying. They'd had to come pick them up several times, and none of them had managed to clear the old caves of those creatures, and they'd lost two researchers due to their incompetence.

"We need to just say screw the guild, and put out a tamer all-call." muttered the green haired pokegirl.

The pidgy nodded and shrugged, "Yeah, but the guild's cheaper, and you know how tamers are. They do nothing but bitch and moan if one of those gets broadcast."

"Attention passengers, the train will be arriving in five minutes." came a voice over the loud speaker. It repeated itself a few times and then cut out.

"Well, let's see what they sent us this time." quipped the pidgy.

The ingenue nodded. They might as well, even if it was probably the bottom of the barrel again. Hell, the report said this guy was only a level one agent. He probably wouldn't last the night.

The train pulled in a few minutes later, and they held up a sign with Scott's name on it.

They watched as half the passengers unloaded, and then noted someone in black body armor stepping off, followed by a blond pokegirl.

The armored person looked around briefly and then noticed them and walked over. "Excuse me? Are you two the reasearch site representatives?"

"Are you Scott from the guild?" asked the ingenue.

The armored man nodded and the two pokegirls groaned after scanning him and his pokegirl.

"I just knew they'd send another wanna be." sighed the girl.

"Excuse me?!" snapped Minako, coming to the defense of her apparently beloved master.

The pidgy sighed, "Don't mind her. She's just fed up from being sent the dregs of the adventurers guild. We need someone with a strong harem, and powerful abilities. Yet, they keep sending us weak, low level people."

Scott snorted. "Whatever, it's easy to talk shit to people you don't know."

"Feh! Whatever, HE-RO. You'll probably be killed in the first encounter." snarked the pidgy.

Minako growled and whipped out her rope. "He beat me in a fight and didn't even use a pokegirl! I think he can handle a few midgets with spears!"

The girls glanced at each other and then laughed their asses off.

"What's so funny?" asked Scott.

The two wiped the tears of hilarity from their eyes and then the ingenue manage to say, "Th-that's hilarious! They s-sent us a human with no blood gifts who's only pokegirl is so weak a normal human can kick her ass!"

Scott stared at them, and then activated his H.U.D. He registered them both as only level five. The pidgy's best attack at her level was gust. The ingenue wasn't even a combat capable girl, her stats being below average for her type. Below average meaning, that she was only a little shy of being twice as durable, strong, and quick as a normal human. She could probably punch, kick, and bite efficiently.

The man shrugged, "Yeah, well i'm sure she'd kick the crap out of either of you. No wonder you wusses need help, you're pathetic. Hell MY strength rating is higher than yours." he said while pointing at them.

The pidgy stared at him and then shook her head. "Not only are you weak, you're an idiot. Your pokegirl is a fighting type, genius! She's four levels below me, AND I have a major type advantage"

The man smirked, "So what? That's just words on a screen. Your best attack can only be done if you're close enough to hit her with it."

"You wanna go, human?! You adventurers are all the same! Too stupid to be real tamers, and too weak to ever have any truly useful pokegirls." snapped the ingenue.

Scott shrugged, "I'm ready if you are. How about you, Mina, wanna show them who's boss?"

The pokegirl whirled her rope and nodded. "Oh yeah, lemme at em!"

"Hold it!" came an excited shout from behind the irate pokegirls.

They all looked over as a man in a security guard uniform came running over. "No, battling in the train station. What's wrong with you?!"

"This idiot started it!" whined the ingenue, trying to look cute.

"Bull..shit..!" snapped Scott, with Mina raising her rope in support.

"Look! If you want to fight so badly, do it outside." snapped the man, as he fingered his pokeballs.

They all nodded, and marched outside.

Once there the two irate pokegirls smirked and cracked their knuckles. This was gonna be an easy win for them.

"If you apologize for being idiots we might go easy on you." the ingenue said haughtily.

"Funny! I was thinking the same thing.." murmured Mina, causing Scott to smile to himself.

The humor of that taunt was cut short by a sudden blast of wind, that slammed into the pokegirl hurtling her off her feet to land hard on the ground.

"Ha! Losers! She got taken out already!" snarked the ingenue.

Scott glanced over worriedly but, noticed Minako getting up, with little trouble. Type advantage or not, that pidgy's gust did little damage to anything but her pride.

Scott drew his sword, and squared off against the ingenue as Minako made ready to retaliate against the bird pokegirl.

"Are you nuts? You really think a mere human can beat a pokegirl?" asked the green haired girl incredulously.

"Been there, done that" replied Scott casually as he ran towards the girl, his weapon held in a solid two-handed grip.

The girl snorted and leapt at him, easily clearing the last six feet between him and her. Scott caught offguard, found himself getting kicked solidly in the chest, and propelled backwards. His momentum from his short run, countered by slightly superior strength.

"Heehee, that's what you get for picking on a lil ol girl like me." snickered the ingenue, just before she narrowly avoided a rock to the head that came hurtling from Scott's downed direction. "So rude!"

"I'm gonna enjoy tying you up with your own rope you bimbo!" cackled the pidgy, as she flew up just out of Minako's range and unleashed another gust attack. Truth be told it was her only non normal ability besides flying.

Mina, easily avoided the attack, since it had petered out a few feet from her anyway. The pidgy may have the type advantage, but the universal truth was apparent here as in most places. Low level characters are weak. Whether attacking or defending, didn't matter.

The pidgy grumbled to herself. That idiot tamer had been right. The only thing keeping her from being whipped all to hell was her ability to fly. Her gust attacks even up close barely annoyed the slicer she was fighting. In another ten levels, she thought, the fight would be hers easily, even if the slicer was reasonably still close in level. Right now though, things weren't so easy.

Scott, grunted in pain, as a strong fist hammered down on him again smashing his chest. She couldn't break his armor, like Minako's weapon had, but enough force still traveled through to bruise him, if she hit solidly.

She laughed as she slapped her hands around his helmet and began shaking it back and forth. Her laughter stopped a moment later as some of Scott's old army training came back to him, and she found her left arm grabbed in a lock and her body being rolled over.

With Scott on top now, she struggled with as much strength as she could muster, but found that with him sitting on her chest, his knees buried in her arm pits, that she had little that she could manage.

She bucked and tried to free her arms, and thought she'd managed to make headway, but found somehow that she was now lying on her stomach after all her twists and turns. An arm snaked around her throat, and a gloved hand found it's way to her forehead to pull it back.

Less than half a minute later she was unconscious. "Heh, doesn't matter how strong you are, when you wind up in the rear naked choke lady." snarked Scott. Of course it was an easy move to get out of if you knew how, happily though she'd never bothered to learn even basic wrestling skills, and had solely relied on her strength and speed.

The pidgy danced around Minako's attempted rope swings, and continued laughing. That is, she laughed until a rock collided with her side, distracting her. "What. the..?" she began to say, before a metal hook slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

She hit the ground like a rock, and was suddenly assaulted by a hard overhand strike than slammed the metal ruthlessly onto her back.

As her eyes watered from pain, and she gasped like a fish out of water Minako reached her and knelt down over her wheezing form. A few quick punches to the chest and face slaps later had the pidgy begging her to stop.

"You give up?" asked Scott, with his sword drawn and pointed at her.

The pidgy nodded rapidly, trying to breathe.

------

"So, you're the new recruit that's here to guard the researchers when we go down to study?" asked an older woman with pink hair. She obviously had more than a little pokegirl DNA in her bloodwork, but apparently didn't threshold. Interesting.

Scott nodded, and Minako smiled happily.

The woman nodded and said, "Ok. We have a long standing rule that we can only accept you if you manage to win a pokegirl battle against one of the team's pokegirls."

Scott raised his eyebrow, though no one saw it. "Really.. so I have to fight someone else today?"

"Someone else?" asked Dr. Gera, the head researcher.

Minako smirked as Scott related the story of how they met with the welcome comittee earlier.

"You two beat Harriet and Sprinkles?" asked Gera incredulously. "But.. they're three levels higher than your slicer! How could a level two pokegirl beat two level five pokegirls, when one has a type advantage!"

"Um.. actually I beat the ingenue. She beat the bird chick and she was level one at the time." stated Scott without missing a beat.

"You beat Sprinkles?! How! You don't register any blood gifts at all!" exclaimed the researcher in a near shout.

"Her name.. is Sprinkles?" said Scott incredulously. His mind was reeling from the knowledge that he'd choked out a chick named Sprinkles.

"Yes.. but.. but.. how?!" exclaimed the doctor again.

Minako giggled in the background at the researcher's antics.

"Oh that? Rear naked choke." said Scott simply.

The doctor stared at him a moment and then from what he'd said, came to the conclusion that he must know some strange form of a sex battling technique.

Minako leaned on her master and he softly stroked her hair. She'd done real well today, and even managed to gain a level from the fight. Heck, she was halfway to leveling again due to the difference in experience level between her and Harriet.

"Well.. if we can verify that with them, then we can go ahead and give you the details." said Dr. Gera after a moment of introspection. Maybe they'd finally been sent someone vaugely competent?

----------

Well there we have chapter seven. A lot of actual interaction this time around, so yay, not as boring. If anyone thinks I made the fight too easy, then oh well.

Just because a pokegirl is generally supposed to be stronger and faster than the average human being, doesn't mean they'll always be faster or stronger than a well trained one. As far as this variation of the pokegirl world goes, all the bonuses like (Endurance X 5) in the enhancements section, simply means five times the human average. The human average is 8 to 12. So the 'typical' endurance range for such a pokegirl is anywhere from 40-60. A human with an endurance rating of 15 is only one fourth as enduring as the highest end of average for that pokegirl.

Note however, that as pokegirls level and train, their natural abilities increase. All these enhancements are based on lowest possible level that the pokegirl type can be achieved. So a level one ingenue, can have anywhere from 16-24 strength as a starting stat. Under these rules.

Just gaining a level increases stats slightly, so at level five the ingenue in this story had a strength rating of 23. She'd gained one point of strength every level. When a pokegirl reaches her 'max average' she has to actually spend time training that stat to increase it there after. In this instance, the ingenue would have to start weight training, and other physical activities to continue gaining strength after level seven comes around.

Also, since she's deemed to have a X(2) rating, she maxes out at twice the human max. So she could conceivably be able to train her strength up to forty throughout her life.

As a research assistant/pet, she had mostly been doing paper work and getting tamed. To be honest, she was lucky she hadn't gotten fat and grown a bigger ass.

I've always found it interesting, that the original humans to fight against the pokegirls during sukebe's war were entirely normal and human. Yet, though they held their own, whether due to high tech weapons or not the current breed of man is considered too weak to fight even the lowest level pokegirls.

_**INGENUE, the Generalist Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Normal

**Frequency**: Common

**Diet**: Human style foods, leaning towards Vegetarian

**Role**: Domestics, General labor, anything that doesn't require paranormal powers  
**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Ghost  
**Weak Vs**: Fighting, poison attacks, domination attacks

**Attacks**: Bite, Punch, Kick, Tackle, Pummel, Yell, Wrestle, Growl, Glare, Cheer, Takedown, Leap, Hammer, Dodge, Trample, Concentration, Double Edge, Helping Hand, Love 'N' Affection, Once More

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Durability (x2), Enhanced Speed (x2), Enhanced Strength (x2)

**Evolves**: Diva (normal), Damsel (orgasm), Sidekick (any elemental stone), Battle Angel (Heavy Metal; trade item), Duelette (Become competent in Duel Monsters games/win a tournament), Shieldmaiden (Psi Crystal)

**Evolves From**: Bunnygirl (stress)

A great number of times, girls go through Threshold without any real change, other than maybe getting a little sexier in appearance. When this occurs, they become a Pokégirl known as an Ingenue.

Ingenues are among the most tolerated form of Pokégirl, as they have no animalistic appearance or over-the-top attacks. Even in more anti-Pokégirl Rights Leagues, such as Indigo, Ingenues aren't as badly treated. Essentially, they're hornier humans, although you'll get a dirty look and the cold shoulder from any Ingenue who hears you describe them like that. Their Feral state is mild, leaving them in a state of distraction.

Ingenues are not combat-suitable Pokégirls. They are, however, extremely useful in domestic tasks or basic scut work. Frequently they can be found in stores, working as clerks or chefs. Some Ingenue owners also hide the fact that their girls are Ingenues in consideration for people who don't like Pokégirls. This is easy to do, since Ingenues do not have any distinguishing marks. Also, frequently Ingenues are employed to keep an eye on their ditzier cousins, the Bimbos.

As mentioned earlier, Ingenues are not combat-suitable Pokégirls. During the Revenge War, they were used as infiltrators, sneaking into human encampments and then either spying or, in rarer cases, triggering an evolution to Sidekick through means that were unknown until the discovery of elemental stones.

Some Bunnygirls evolve in Ingenues through stress, although the mechanism is uncertain. Some crueler people have said that forcing a Bunnygirl to use her brain will turn her into an Ingenue. Those people were given a wedgie and hung by their underwear from a flagpole. I am not making this up, there are several recorded incidences of this happening.

Ingenues are a fairly commonplace Threshold. Most girls who undergo a transformation into an Ingenue accept it fairly well, as all they get is a slightly increased libido.

---_**PIDGY (aka BIRDY, aka CANARY), the Tweety Bird Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Animorph (bird)

**Element**: Flying

**Frequency**: Common

**Diet**: insectivore, grains, some plants

**Role**: often used as a pet, sometimes as a courier or scout

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Plant, Fighting

**Weak Vs**: Cat-type Pokégirls, Rock, Electric

**Attacks**: Gust, Swift, Taunt, Move By, Quick Attack, Feather Shuriken

**Enhancements**: Minor levitation ability, lightweight frame, altered digestive system, hips and knees are free-jointed, feet are prehensile, arms and hands are wings, lack of hair (down & feathers), improved respiration, small size (4' or 1.35m), Enhanced Eyesight x3

**Evolves**: Pidgette (normal), Pidgeota (evolved Pidgette; normal), Swanmaid (Angel Stone), Divette (Water Stone), Falcongentle (battle stress), Hooter (Dark Stone), Murkunt (Moon Shard)

**Evolves From**: None

Pidgy are one of the common "pet types" found among human society. They are small and lightweight, don't eat a lot, and don't require a lot of maintenance. One of the first, if not the first bird types to appear, it is thought that Pidgys were the basis of most of the other bird type Pokégirls due to their similarities in structure, with the exception of the Legendaries and those modeled after them. The arms and hands of a Pidgy are used as her wings, and are thus useless for anything other than flight, it is their feet which are used for anything regarding fine manipulation. Their lightweight frame is due to the makeup of their bones, which are honeycombed instead of solid, much like a Pre-Sukube bird's only stronger. Their hips and knees are free-jointed, which means that they can bend both forwards and backwards. This aids in landing, takeoff, jumping, feeding, and makes for very interesting taming sessions. Because of their need to use their feet for more mundane tasks, Pidgys are oddly focused on keeping their feet clean. One can often find feral Pidgys splashing about in small pools of water, and any owner of a Pidgy is sure to win her affection via a foot spa. Pidgys are covered in feathers from head to ankle, their feet being slightly scaled with tough skin. The only places devoid of feathers are their nipples and lips, giving their face an owlish appearance. In place of hair, they have slightly longer feathers that seem to simulate hair as well as keeping their heads warmer when flying.

Domesticated Pidgy are often used as couriers or messengers, particularly in mountainous areas where communication lines are difficult to maintain. They can also easily be lookouts, as their eyesight is much keener than a human's coupled with their ability to get up to good vantage points makes them excellent to watch from a 'bird's eye view'. While the thin air at high altitudes makes it difficult for them to fly, they can manage short trips to deliver messages or hunt for food. Thresholded Pidgy usually bemoan their loss of humanity and spend most of their time in the air, flying for the joy it gives them. Eventually they come to terms with their new existence. Their slight levitation ability also assists them here, allowing them to effectively soar when they would otherwise have to flap their wings, as well as assisting in taking off and landing.

Very Rarely, a Pidgy will be born yellow instead of an earth tone brown, these Pidgy are often called Tweetys, and tend to have no fear of cat-types, unlike other Pidgy. These odd bird Pokégirls even find enjoyment in tormenting and teasing cat-types, and should not be allowed in a harem with them, unless the Tamer wants to see chaos ensue. These Tweety types often speak in a cutesy fashion, but are surprisingly more intelligent than a normal Pidgy, even when captured feral. They also retain their small size, gaining no more than one or two inches with each normal evolution, keeping the standard Pidgy B-cup chest size and odd coloration throughout their lives. If evolved with a stone, however, this strange Pidgy becomes a normal colored and tempered evolution.

Feral Pidgy are nearly worthless, even after intensive training their attention span is extremely low. This is due to Pidgy being at the bottom of the Pokégirl food chain when in the wild, and the Pidgy is constantly watching their surroundings for any sign of danger. This ingrained habit is very hard to break in feral Pidgy, and so far the only Pidgy that have any hope are the Tweety types mentioned above.


	8. spider in the dark

Disclaimer: I don't have one clue how to write a good fiction story.. so I just make stuff up. (heh.) Also, I don't own anything in the forgotten realms, so the elements that show up here are used at my discretion to tell a half-assed story. They belong to their respective owners and such. Feel free to hate all over me later, k?

Chapter 8: Spider in the dark.

The rope flew out, slamming the hooked end into yet another empty can. This exercise was proving too easy for her, but her master wanted her to keep working on her precision.

Minako smiled softly to herself in momentary distraction at the idea of having a tamer. Even one as decidedly odd as Scott. Who ever thought the day would come when a human male with no blood gifts would try and defend himself against pokegirls.

The rope zipped out and somehow flipped back on itself and rocket towards the pokegirl, pass her by and slap brutally into a can directly behind her. She hadn't damaged the wooden fence these cans were sitting on once.

She moved into a slow rythmic twirling motion, enjoying the feel of her weapon whirling about her. Suddenly she whipped it out as though it were only a thought and quickly tapped another can into oblivion.

They were going in again in a few hours. She and her beloved master would no doubt find themselves swarmed by more of those 'kobolds' as he called them. To her they were just short ugly rat-dog things with scales. Scaley rat-dogs that used rusty spears and liked to come in small groups.

She smirked to herself at just how pathetic they were. They had to fight a few dozen of them total in the last fourteen days and it had been more like a slaughter than a battle.

The blond haired slicer wondered just how sad and pathetic the last few adventurer teams had to be, not to be able to beat these things. They were barely able to improve her skills. Sure, she'd gained three levels in the last two weeks, but she'd of had the same effect from a handful of decent pokegirl battles.

Ah well, at least they'd had random salable items and the occasional coinage. Her master had made a nice little bit of change and even set her up a small bank account in his name, and given her a share.

She blushed furiously and smiled happily. "Me, with my own money.."

Minako had already bought herself a few odds and ends, along with some combat gear. Sure her red leather bodice didn't add much to her defense rating, but it certainly got Scott's attention. Though she could do without his 'domina' references.

"Today's our last day here Mina." came the voice she loved to hear above all others.

The girl smirked to herself and then whipped her rope out at the general location of her beloved master, only to find empty air. He'd kept moving as he spoke.

"Heh, no tying me up right now silly, we have to get ready." smiled the man, for once not wearing his 'storm trooper' helmet out in public.

"Aww! You're so mean... Master.." pouted the blond.

Scott snorted, "Do you really have to keep calling me that..? I mean I have a name you know.."

Mina stuck out her tongue at him and attempted to look sexy and cute. She did a good job of that by the way. "I'll call you anything you like, if I get to use this first..?" she said, while holding her weapon up.

"Maybe, later..." informed the man, as he slipped his helmet on, attempting to hide a rising blush. Just because he was more used to the casual sexuality of this world now, didn't mean he was over his natural shyness yet.

"Oh poo! Don't be suck a stick in the spud!" exclaimed the girl.

"Mud, sweety."

"Hmm.? Oh, yeah.. mud, whatever!" she said as she flailed her arms about, her rope zwipping around dangerously.

Scott ducked casually and chuckled to himself at her antics. They'd grown a bit closer these last few weeks, though most of that closeness had been her getting as much quality time as she wanted, whether he was awake to enjoy it or not.

"Hmph!" she exclaimed imperiously with a toss of her hair, after finally ceasing her flailing.

The man smirked and then let it ease into a soft smile, as he slipped up behind her and gave the irate girl a tender hug. Her ire slowly fled and she leaned into it, simply enjoying the sweet moment.

----

Scott, held the halogen light up to scan the dark passage way before them, attempting to percieve whether any of the kobolds were coming down the sole entrance to this wide cavern.

This was the final day of the mission for him and Mina, the researchers were about to turn the caverns over the to league for the extermination squad and biological studies groups. The researchers would come back, after the clean-up.

As he stared down the passageway a sudden red blur came hurtling out towards him, and solidified itself as a single kobold running full tilt. Scott steeled himself, but the thing just kept running, off towards another exit.

The cavern they were in now, might have but one entrance, but there were lots of other adjoining corridors not too far away.

A moment later a squeal of pain, was followed by a girlish, "Ewwwww..my new shoes are ruined!"

Minako had taken care of that little pest.

A few minutes later a three more came through, and made a beeline for the exit corridor leading to the surface. They were completely ignoring him and the researchers for some reason. Three more squeals came from Minako's direction, and some more annoyed grumbling about kobold splatter.

Scott moved forward to intercept, though, as he heard a great clamor coming near. This time it wasn't a single kobold or a small group. There were at least a dozen, and they seemed determined to make a break for the surface.

Something was definitely wrong. They barely registered Scott and Minako in their obvious terror, and the man called back to the researchers. "We need to go people! Somethings got these things scarred to death!"

Dr. Gera came rushing up to ask him what was going on, but before she could say her breath caught in her throat. Her glasses slid from her face and she flailed her arms falling onto her rump. Absolute terror etched onto her every feature.

A curious scrabbling from behind him caused the man to turn slowly. Out of the darkness walked a horror he had hoped he'd never face on this or any world.

"W-widow..!" shrieked the doctor as she tried to slide back and away from the monstrosity. She expected at any moment to become meat for the beast.

Scott felt a curious trickle between his thighs and his eyes widened comically. He'd just pissed himself.

A shriek screamed out from Minako's corridor as a Kobold that had tried to get away found itself caught in a web line and hauled back.

The man watched as the half spider creature finished webbing it up and then stuck it against the wall. Something seemed off about the situation, well besides it being royally screwed up.

For one the 'widow' seemed to be solely going after the kobolds. It also seemed to be wearing actual armor on it's humanoid torso, didn't have insect eyes and it's mouth seemed entirely human.

It caught three of the critters and then glanced over at Scott and smirked. "Kobolds are an acquired taste..."

Scott collected his wits a little, then frowned and snorted, if we had kobolds why not a non-pokegirl half-spider creature, "I wouldn't know.. too many scales, and the fur just isn't my thing."

The creature laughed merrily, but with a decidedly creepy edge to it's tone. "No doubt of that.. friend.. but tell me.. what are you doing in my domain?"

The black armored man considered a moment. "Keeping the rat-dogs away while these people do research."

The spider guy, for his voice was decidedly male, nodded and said, "Very well then.. but i'll need something in return for them traipsing along in my caverns."

Scott hmm'ed loudly and then took a shot in the dark saying, "You do realize this isn't the underdark right?"

The creature blinked and then stared at him curiously, "Explain..."

"First, what's the name of your world? Faerun by any chance?" asked Scott, as he noticed Minako ready herself in the shadows. This thing was a possible threat to her master.

"Indeed it is..." said the aberration.

Scott smirked, though the now obvious D&D drider couldn't see it. The other scientists were slowly getting over their dread and began coming closer to hear this most decidedly strange conversation. Much to his annoyance.

"You seem to be in a fairly similar boat to me then. You've crossed dimensions and are in an entirely different world." informed the man, making certain to keep his voice cordial. The last thing he or anyone else needed was a fight with a drider. Who knew which was worse, the pokegirl version or the original recipe.

The drider settled back slightly and seemed to consider this. Scott wondered what was crawling through it's chaotically evil mind. Drow from Faerun were notoriously evil, and being turned into drider always screwed with their heads even more. Of course those were game statistics, and as he had noticed fiction didn't always mesh with reality.

"I do recall, a certain feeling of disorientation earlier. I'd assumed it was simply a teleport trap i'd managed to stumble into." confessed the half-spider.

Scott nodded.

"Hmm, well you've come at an incredibly bad time i'm afraid." Replied the black armored man.

"Oh.. and why is that..?" the cursed being asked with a hint of menace in his voice.

The man nodded, "Because come tomorrow the people of the neighboring area have an extermination squad coming through to clean out the rest of these kobolds. They'll mistake you for something you aren't and then all hell will break loose, figuratively."

The drider hissed and drew back, "You surface creatures are all the same! Why I ever thought it was worth giving up my heritage I don't know!"

Scott winced, '_ok.. that was the wrong thing to say I guess._'

"Minako, no.. don't.." said Scott aloud though as she made to attack the irate spider halfbreed.

The girl frowned and backed away, keeping wary eyes on the creature menacing her master.

"Feh.. why would you care if she struck me down.. Love, justice, honor, it's all a myth!" shouted the creature as it reared back and flailed its arms.

Scott noticed its antics and then a thought ocurred to him "Would the dark maiden think kindly of you if she heard that.. and you know she probably did."

The monster stopped cold and and took a deep breath, his eyes glaring down and then widening perceptibly. "You, know of.. her..?"

The Scientists were crowding around now, some writing furiously, others recording for posterity. An actual conversation with some sort of man-widow? They'd make history!

"I know of the legends surrounding her. Patron diety of all, good aligned drow.. and now it seems, a possibly good aligned drider, as nearly insane as that sounds." said Scott sagely.

The spider-halfbreed became morose for a moment, and said "I wasn't always a drider.. I was once a servant of Lloth, but I refused to kill my brother in her name. Thus my current nature."

Scott nodded, "Elistraee came to you later?"

The drider nodded and settled it's skittering legs down like a horse resting. "Yes, in my misery at being outcast, and the slow insanity creeping up inside me I wept in the dark caverns on the outskirts of my former home."

The others settled down to listen to this strange creature's tale.

"Months, years, I am not sure how long passed. I lived like an animal, trapping my prey in cunning fashion, but alone. Utterly alone." continued the spider drow.

Minako, kneeled down in the corridor but kept herself alert. She wanted to hear the story too, it sounded so tragic!

"Then, a time came where i'd come across a small band of dwarves. They attacked me and I killed all but two of them. I'd avoided most intelligent races, living off the kobolds and random goblins that teemed in the under dark."

Scott thought to himself about the unlikely nature of this story, but thought enough to keep it to himself.

"When I came across the last two, it was a small dwarven boy, and his tiny sibling brother." Said the drider as his eyes seemed to gaze at nothing at all, obviously lost in memory.

"The dwarf child stood shaking before me, an axe too heavy for him to lift in his tiny hands. He was trying to protect his brother." he continued. A small trace of tears coming to his eyes.

Several sniffles from behind him, made the black armored man slightly incredulous. Man people were finicky. One minute they're scared to death, the next minute they're on the edge of their seats with someone elses grief.

"You can't have him! The little one had said, as he tried to raise that axe. I for some reason can't remember my reply. Though I do recall a small smile crossing both their faces." said the spider drow.

The half-spider cleared his throat a moment and then continued. "Several times in the next few months i'd find myself in similar situation. Despite my grief and insanity, somehow I barely managed not to let my now evil nature overtake me."

Scott quirked an eyebrow and listened intently. He wondered just how different the real Faerun was from the game setting.

"Then, one day after such an encounter, a voice soft and lilting and the vision of a drowess beautiful beyond compare came to me. Seven times you have shown mercy. Today, granted to you mercy is."

The others behind Scott murmured a little, wondering what kind of mercy and one or two babbled something about megami pokegirls.

"After the voice faded, I felt a calmness come over me that I had not experienced ever in my two hundred and thirty years of life as a drow." finished the half-spider.

"So the dark maiden Elistraee removed the chaotic evil from you soul, that had been cursed into you, and set your mind free?" asked Scott carefully.

"I did not know who she was, until much later. When i'd freed a band of surface elves that some of my former brethren had captured. They were all children, save for the priestess. Who was one of the dark maiden's ladies." he said.

"Uh.. but I didn't know dark maidens had that kind of power?" asked a random researcher from behind him.

Scott answered, "Elistraee isn't a pokegirl. She's a goddess of the drow pantheon. From his homeworld. The dieties there take a major interest in the random mortal races and interact directly and often."

A hushed murmur of voices behind him continued.

"So now you know my tale. The goddess of good drow, took my insanity but left me in this cursed body." said the man bitterly.

The armored man nodded, "True, but you also now find yourself in a world where it just may be possible to cure you of that curse and let you once again regain at least a humanoid form."

The drider looked up in shock. "Can this truly be so?"

Scott nodded. "Let me make a few calls. I can't promise you a ready cure, or even an eventual one. However, I can promise you a major attempt on your behalf. I know several elven pokegirls and the like who'd love to meet a male of an elven species."

The drider seemed to go pale for a moment and then his cheeks darkened slightly. If Scott hadn't know better, he'd have sworn he was blushing.

-------------

Well there we have chapter eight.

Have I screwed the world up enough yet? No.. yes.. too bad. i'm gonna do worse. lol.

Next chapter i'll manage to show you a little of what Usagi's going through, and we finally have a run in with the dark' kingdom/negaverse. So yay, Scott most likely gets his assed kicked again. hehe.


	9. Sailor V Makes the Scene

Warning: Neither fiction or fanfiction is real. Any resemblance to actual occurrences in your own life is strictly by accident and coincidental. Thank you, that is all.

Chapter 9: Sailor V Makes the Scene

The digital rendering of the man snorted and said, "You ask too much. That angel pokegirl of yours may be powerful and rare, but she's been knocked unconscious in almost every battle she's ever been in. How you've managed not to lose her in a challenge match yet is beyond me."

A familiar looking douche bag tamer replied, "Look, you can set her through a level five taming cycle and that might help. I would, but every time i've tried something has gone wrong. I finally gave up."

"No deal, Henry. If you want to sell me your Selkie, feel free. That angel's not coming near my harem." said the man.

Henry, the douche bag tamer idily rubbed the back of his head where a bad scar brought back memories. "Fine, have the credits sent to my account."

The man nodded and authorized the transfer. A few minutes later Henry's ball flashed from it's place in the pokegirl center's transport console, and he noticed a little over a three-hundred thousand credits appear in his account.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, mate." said the man on the other end before signing off.

Henry hissed under his breath and nodded, "Whatever.."

He took out Usagi's pokeball seriously considering throwing it out the window. He couldn't even give the bitch away. No wondering tamers were willing to trade for her since they were highly suspicious of someone trying to give away an angel pokegirl.

Henry was at the end of his rope. All the girl talked about, when she bothered to talk at all, was her 'prince.'

He glanced at the terminal and said, "Fuck it. If I can't put her through a level five cycle, i'll just have to take her to see that idiot that attacked me."

Unvoiced was his thought_and make sure she's sees that he'll never be able to 'rescue' her._ Henry figured that if he went and thoroughly beat that fool, then his angel would finally shut the hell up and accept reality. She belonged to him, and as his property he was going to get his use out of her.

He tapped in a few search words, and eventually found a page linking him to the jail in Oldtowne. The place where he'd left that fool.

A few minutes of fiddling with links led him to the prisoner roster since it was public record. Realizing that the guy had been released. A few more minutes of searching led to him finding his current occupation. He smirked happily when he found out that he wouldn't even be breaking the law when he went after him.

------

Scott sat in the shaded part of the garden, with his new friend. The forgotten realms drider finished up his meal, and sat the empty blood pack to the side. He'd gone through four of them already, but seemed to be satiated finally.

"So, They think they can help me?" he asked the for once, unarmored man.

Scott nodded in reply, "Yeah, they're going to work on a variation of the ceremony they use to polymorph an elven pokegirl into a non-pokegirl one. So far, they know they could turn you into an elf of some type, though you'd be a female one."

Ruixerallerin nodded and idily tapped one of his forelegs against the ground. "I'm not so hung up on gender.. but to be honest, I think i'd prefer to return to being a male drow."

Scott didn't see a problem with that. Though male elves in this world were a serious rarity, and male elf magic-users of high enough skill to use the necessary spells were non-existent. The fact that 'Ru' was not a pokegirl would normally have made it absurdly easy.

Pokegirl dna seemed to take some major spellworking to remove from the one being polymorphed. At present, there was no true way to change anyone but an elven pokegirl into a standard elf, save by the ceremony. Several elven magic-users got together and attempted to change the racial characteristics of the pokegirl via polymorph.

It was notoriously difficult and required regeants and several nights worth of spell casting, using the phases of the moon. A non-pokegirl creature could be polymorphed rather easily. A simple casting of the spell, and then a curse of permanency would do the trick.

Heck, it should have been rediculously easy to change Ru back to a drow male, even if the spells would change his gender to female. A simple change sex curse and permanency application would have been enough to fix that problem.

The problem came in the fact that he was a drider. The spells and blessings that changed his form having been spawned directly from an evil goddess, required something on the level of divine intervention to remove. While there were megami pokegirls in this world, no true dieties seemed to be answering calls from supplicants.

So P-chan was having her magical scholars looking into the magics of their various backgrounds. The elven race here on this world was comprised of a loose association of elves from many different homeworlds that had somehow been dimensionally shifted to this world.

They'd eventually began running across each other by sheer accident over a century ago, and began living together in a forest and cavern commune nearby.

While male elves did exist here, there were only a handful. As they weren't mages in their own right. The only dimensionally shifted magic-using elves of repute were three females from Faerun. One was even a drowess named Alanera that had finally managed to mellow on the whole, 'I will rule all with my cunning and evilness' routine.

Alanera was the first of these three to come see Ru, as he was the closest thing to a drow male on this world.

"Master?" asked Minako as she came sauntering up to see him. She was covered in sweat, and her cheeks flushed. He'd suggested that she try to learn some unarmed combat skills to go along with her rope swinging.

At first she'd seemed hesitant, but after he explained the simple reason why it was a good idea to have skills to fall back on if disarmed, she relented.

"Yeah Mina?" he asked, turning his attentiong to the nearly naked slicer. Once again upon seeing her eyes he knew why he'd let himself begin to feel strongly for her. Despite the horrors she'd seen in life, her eyes seemed so innocent.

"I just finished up the training schedule for the day.."

Scott smiled, and patted the ground at his side and teased her saying, "Good job. We'll make a fighter out of you yet."

She snorted cutely and settled down next to him, "Sure, maybe someday I can be as good as you.. I mean it's not like I don't beat you every single time we spar or anything."

Ru chuckled at their antics and settled back leaning against a tree. He normally preferred the underground caverns, and in fact would need to return to the darkness of the earth soon, all this light gave him a headache. Still, it was an interesting sensation being on the surface with nothing attacking him.

"Hey, Mina, want to go get something to eat in town tomorrow night?" Scott asked. He'd not eaten in an actual restaurant on this world yet, and he found himself in the presence of a truly gorgeous date.. so why not?

The girl beamed happily at him and snuggled close, "You bet your sweat biddy I do!"

"Sweet bippy, sweety."

"Whatever..!"

-------

Analise leaned back and let the shower do it's work. The water cascading down her chest, to flow along her taught muscles. As the heated water relaxed her flesh, the glamour faded away and once again she was the dark elf Pirotessa.

She lathered up some body wash and went to work cleansing herself in a time honored tradition, stopping only once due to the nature of where her mind had wandered. As she'd massaged the lotion against the skin of her breasts prior to rinsing, a momentary flash of a familiar masculine face had skittered through her mind.

"Scott.." she murmured to herself, wondering just why he'd pop into her mind at such a time. He wasn't an incredibly powerful, or exceedingly beautiful man. He was strong, and not that bad looking, but nothing to write home about.

So, why would he be tormenting her with his mental presence.

Pirotessa finished up her shower, and toweled off before slipping on her robe. Thoughts of Scott once again filtering through her mind. A sudden thought of the blond haired pokegirl who was always with him, sent a stab of some emotion she couldn't quite name either.

It took her several minutes and then one wide eyed expression to realize the truth. She might actually be jealous.

Unable to determine it for a fact, she shoved those unwanted thoughts aside. There had only been one human being that caused such feelings in her, and she would not assault her memories of him, with a school girl crush on a largely untried knight.

-----

_hiss_ cold vapor escaped the locking device and slowly the crystalline chamber opened, revealing a creature not seen upon this earth in millenia. A beast of the wilds with the cunning of a man, and unrelenting desire to achieve its goals.

Slowly, the pure white furred creature that had slumbered these ten thousand years awakened. Clumsily at first, and with much effort it padded its way from the capsule and towards the tiny hole where light was shining down.

A soft "Mew" was heard as it struggled free and it gazed upon the rapidly darkening skyline. Off in the distance from it's rocky perch it could see a forest, and further still, the hints of a small rural seeming town.

Thoughts began to form, incoherent, rambling thoughts. Thousands of years of slumber had dulled its senses, but finally a face and a name became clear. "Venus.."

The tiny predator began feeling a slight tugging sensation, and a moment later it began wandering in the direction it lead. It had a mission. Though it could not recall just how, or why, it knew who and was going to find out where.

------

Jacob smiled softly from his kneeling position in front of his long time sweetheart. A black box was open in his hands with a diamond stone ring on display before her. "Milla..baby.. I.. I love you.. Will you marry me?"

Milla was about to burst with love for her Jakie-poo as she thought of him. He'd took her out to a wonderful dinner. He'd brought her roses, and had a small radio playing soft music, since the restaurant didn't allow people to come in and sing.

The girl beamed happily, tiny tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "Y-yes! I will"

Jacob leapt up and threw his arms around her, and as the two lovers embraced, amidst the cheering of the restaurant patrons, the joy and love between them could be seen as an almost palpable force.

As they leaned in to brush their lips against each other and possibly more, a thought crossed their minds collectively, _nothing could ruin today._

Suddenly the burglar alarm on the back door went off. A moment later a scream erupted from the kitchen area followed by a body being flung through the swinging door to land in a heap in the center of the restaurant.

A panic ensued as a pokegirl came racing into the area and screamed, "Creamy!"

A few pokedexes tried to catalogue this creature, as well as a few pokeballs immediately flew threw the air a moment after her arrival.

Only two balls connected, and both bounced off harmlessly.

The two lovers stared horrified and clutched each other, as a suddenly wave of whipped cream erupted out of the suspected youma pokegirls hands and enveloped them.

The albino 'pokegirl' raised a clawed hand and exclaimed, "Creamy!" one more time and people started dropping like flies all around as their life force began siphoning away.

A few tamers held it together long enough to toss out a pokeball, but the instant their girls left their balls they too began to weaken and fell to their knees.

A kunoichi managed to throw a kunai at the obviously high level pokegirl, but the thrown dagger simply slapped hard against it and fell away. No damage at all.

A wave of whipped cream flew out and solidified around the offending party, and soon everyone in the restaurant was unconscious.

-----

Scott decided to splurge a little of his bonus from the mission he'd just completed and he and Minako played dress up. He found himself in a tuxedo, and she was in a shimmery red gown, with her hair up. Minako had kept her rope with her though, by wrapping it around her shoulders, and stomach. It didn't show at all and had only a barely noticeable effect on her outfit.

Her tamer though, was entirely unarmed. For the first time since he'd gotten out of jail he was completely vulnerable, and didn't like it a bit. Even if it was his idea.

As they were wondering down the street laughing happily, they began hearing screams in the distance and saw an Officerjenny with three Growlie and a Growltit racing down the lane towards a restaurant at the end of the block.

Scott and Minako looked at each other and nodded before chasing after. Neither had a clue what was going on, but they intended to find out.

When they neared the restaurant they were greeted with the sight of a wave of what looked like whipped cream blasting the last two growlies back and hardening around them.

Sounds of fighting were heard coming from inside and Minako stopped long enough to free her rope.

"Ready?" he asked her. He didn't think he'd be of much use if this was a pokegirl battle, without armor or weapons but he'd do his best to help.

Minako nodded and the two slipped inside.

The Officerjenny was firing some sort of handgun at what looked to be a youma pokegirl, just from the sheer oddness of it.

Scott took his dex from his pocket and after scanning her, noted that she was regestering as, 'type unknown'. It didn't even state whether the creature was human or pokegirl.

He noticed all the unconscious people and a few pokegirls wrapped in solid chunks of whipped topping and nodded. _It could be the negaverse, if they're really here._ He'd expected to find something like this at some point in his life.

All the rumours of youma pokegirls that couldn't be captured, tamed, or hurt by anything other than magical attacks were apparently true.

The officerjenny fired off three more useless shots and then barely managed to avoid a wave of whipped cream destruction.

"Creamy..!" exclaimed the creature as it howled in annoyance when an attack it actually felt skittered off its back. The one remaining growlie had used a flamethrower attack.

Sadly, though it had actually managed to damage the creature, it was almost instantly healed by the influx of life force that steadily poured into it.

The retaliating wave of cream kept the puppy pokegirl from repeating herself.

"Mina, I don't think anything but magic is going to hurt this thing. So our best bet is to try and distract it or slow it down somehow, so that last growltit can get it with its fire attacks." Scott told her in a low voice from a corner of the room.

She nodded and ran forward attempting to entangle the youma with her rope.

Scott, looked around for anything he could use as a weapon and barely managed to dive out of the way when a spray of whipped topping flew in his direction. "Hey! All that sugar could gimme a cavity!" he called out from behind the table.

If all he could do was be a distraction, then the least he could do was be a good one. right?

"Yaa!" exclaimed Minako as she finally managed to slip her rope around the creatures left leg and wrap it. A hard tug dragged it over and made it fall roughly to the floor.

The Growltit followed it up with a firespin, that managed a direct hit.

"CREAMY!" screamed the youma as she felt fire race along her form. A bit of burnt flesh flaked off, but was healed nearly instantaneously by the life force being drawn from the fallen.

Soon, the Growltit began to feel the effects and fell to a knee. Minako herself wasn't looking too hot. Well, she always looked 'hot' but in this instance is was more of a health related issue.

Scott, seemed to be the only one not nearly dropping from exhaustion, and it was beginning to concern him. Of course, he was also farther away.. so who knew.

Creamy, for lack of a better name, rolled out of the way of another firey blast, and grabbed Minako's rope propelling the hapless slicer forward and into a brutal punch to her chest.

Scott seeing this, lost all common sense and ran over screaming her name. Creamy tried to cover him in whipped topping, but the angle was wrong and she only managed to tag his left arm.

The pain from the icey attack was immense, but in his need to reach his beloved friend and lover, he didn't notice it much.

The Growltit managed one last flamethrower attack before collapsing that singed the youma and distracted her enough that Scott was able to reach Minako and check her.

She was breathing raggedly and her eyes were shut.

"Mina!" he exclaimed. Worry was etched on his face

The youma snickered, "Creamy.." and raised its and to freeze them good, but found she couldn't move forward because her leg had somehow become handcuffed to a table.

It looked down in irritation and saw the Officerjenny glare at her before passing out.

Scott fished around in his pocket, looking for a potion he'd brought with him just in case, but found himself suddenly being hurled backwards by a heavy wooden table connecting with him.

Battered, with a possibly broken arm and a rapidly forming concussion, the only thing he could say was, "Mina.." and reach feebly for her as his consciousness began to fade.

His obviously hallucinating mind noticed a white cat come up beside him and look towards the downed slicer pokegirl.

The youma leapt over the downed girl and raised a clawed hand in Scott's direction attempting to draw his life force. "Creamy..!" it snarled.

When nothing happened, it grabbed him by the lapels and lifted him into the air and shook him violently, demanding in her fashion that he give her his energy.

Minako slowly came around and heard the feeble struggle from behind her. Turning she saw her beloved master being brutalized by an inhuman creature, not particularly caring that she herself wasn't exactly human, and tried to get to her feet to help him.

Her rope was too far away and she could barely lift her arms. Whatever that thing was, it was STRONG.

As the seconds mounted, and her master, her Scott, seemed to slip further away she began to get desperate and tried to struggle over to him.

That's when the worst thing of all happened. Scott desperately flailing his arms in his semi-conscious state tried with everything he had left to escape the youma's hold. His hands inevitably grabbed a handful of flowers from behind him.

With his sense of reason gone he screamed in defiance and stabbed the stem of the cut roses down onto the arm of the creature with everything he had.

Some indefinable, and currently inexplicable shift occurred and somehow these roses stabbed deep into the arm tearing into the flesh and illiciting the first true pain the creature had felt.

In shock and fear it spun around and hurled Scott away disdainfully with it's uninjured arm and a sick crack could be heard as he slammed against the restaurant wall before falling roughly to the table beneath it.

Minako seeing all this, screamed in fear and emotional distress for the one she loved. A circle with an arrow appeared on her forehead glowing brightly and she entered a near trance state immediately after.

A small white cat seeing that symbol immediately recognized who he was searching for and raced over, somehow managing to have a small ornate stick appear in his mouth.

As the youma tried desperately to remove the roses from her arm, causing agony with every attempt, the cat said, "Take this!"

Minako glanced down glassy eyed and didn't seem to understand.

"Hurry! It's your only chance! Take it!" the cat exclaimed again.

The girl seemed to realize that the small furry creature was trying to help and she reached out to grasp the small henshin stick in her hand.

She held it in her hands, and a memory flashed through her mind. A uniform with a short skirt, as well as a sight of looking up and seeing a blue moon in the sky.

"Wha..?" she asked, trying to understand.

"Hurry Venus! You have to transform!" exclaimed the cat in excited agitation. That youma wouldn't be distracted too much longer.

"Trans..?" she half asked. Her mind milling over the word as the stick became much more prominent in her sight. "How..?"

"I don't know! Try something! Try calling on the power of venus!" cried the cat as its tail flickered in agitation. It just couldn't remember.

"Venus power?" she asked groggily.

A small flare of warmth emanated from the stick and she felt slightly stronger.

"Yes! That's it! But say it with confidence! You are the sailor suited defender of love and justice Sailor Venus! Believe!" informed the cat with enthusiasm.

Minako gazed at the stick, and then she saw the monster that had hurt her master rip the last rose from her arm. A sense of anger and love warred within her and she said with finality in a loud voice nearly yelling, "Venus Power!"

Her body, mind, and spirit were inundated with a raw power she'd never experience before. She began glowing brightly and her badly torn evening gown disappeared in a flash as a new uniform appeared. First the bodice,complete with a red bow, and an orange skirt followed a crescent moon choker around her neck and then a red mask around her eyes.

Around her waist a small golden chain with the links shaped like hearts formed, slowly she stopped dancing around from the outpowering of power and the strange music that had appeared began to die down.

All her wounds had vanished and she stood there in all her sailor suited glory ready to lay the magical smack down.

Creamy turned in time to see all this and finally said something besides, 'creamy.' "And who the hell are YOU and what do you want."

Sailor Venus glared at her and said, "My name?! Call me Sailor V!"

As for what I want..! " My master is for snuggling and cuddling, and restaurants are for dating! In the name of Venus i'll punish you!"

"Rrra! Creamy! Punish this, blondey!" snapped the agitated youma before she sent another wave of whipped cream out. She really was a one trick Ponytaur after all.

Venus, leapt out of the way narrowly escaping the wave of frosty delicious death and whipped out her chain feeling a little knowledge creep into her mind. "Venus love chain encircle!"

The heart shape linked chain flew out expertly and wrapped tightly around the youma, preventing her from using her hands.

"Venus! Use your crescent beam attack!" exclaimed her new furry mascot.

Minako thought about it for a moment and then blinked. OH yeah! She remembered that! She flung her arms in front of her and clasped her hands pointing with two fingers.

"VENUS... CRESCENT BEAM... SMAAAASH!" she screamed sending a powerful beam of high yield plasma out to slam forcefully into the creature.

Creamy screeched in agony as she was flung back bodily into the wall, a massive bit of her chest seeming to evaporate after the attack.

Slowly though it was beginning to reform. Not nearly as fast as before, but it was still happening.

Not knowing what else to do, she let loose with another crescent beam, this time completly opening the youma's chest cavity.

Sailor V began to sweat a little as she could feel her energy levels drop. This attack was really taking it out of her.

To her great joy though, the creature screamed out, "Creamy!!" one last time and broke apart, dust forming from it's remains. A small gemstone left in a pile of this dust all that was left to show for its existence.

"Ha! Oh YEAH! Take that you frosty biatch!" cackled Minako excitedly.

"Good job Venus!" exclaimed the cat happily.

The girl was so busy congratulating herself, she wouldn't recall her unconscious tamer for almost a full minute.

Her transformation abruptly cut out, and she felt very drained. It would obviously take some time before she'd be able to maintain that for more than a few minutes. Strangely though, her chain didn't disappear.

-------

Well, there we have it. Another incredibly horrible chapter. I hope you hated reading it as much as I hated writing it.

OR perhaps the exact opposite.

Before people get excited and think I made pokegirls weak compared to sailormoon style youma. I didn't. The youma from sailor moon were only weak against magic.

The 'elemental' forces the senshi/scouts used in the series were derived from magic and as such would be effectively a magical attack.

A fire attack from a pokegirl without using magic to cause it, would only be doing the same thing as using a naturally created flame.

A human with a flame thrower isn't anymore likely to stop a sailormoon youma, than an officerjenny with a standard handgun. Though against something that is basically made out of whipped cream a normal fire might actually hurt it a little.

Plus one sailormoon youma can drain a whole crowd of people in a matter of seconds. Higher level/hit point pokegirls would last longer, but unless they were immune to energy drain, they'd still be sucked dry.

Why was Scott immune, or at least mildly resistant to energy draining? You'll find out eventually. He sure wasn't immune to getting his ass handed to him though. Poor bastard.

Either way. flames.. annoyances, brutal atomic wedgies when i'm not looking.. all are welcome.

----

OFFICERJENNY, the Police Pokegirl

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Fighting/Normal

Frequency: Uncommon. Not found in the wild.

Diet: Human-style diet

Role: Law enforcement of all kinds

Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel

Weak Vs: Fighting, Flying, Psychic

Libido: Average

Attacks: Counter, Evade, Pose, Headbutt, Takedown, Body Slam, Toss, Stone Palm, Focus, Focus Energy, Resist, Gatling Punch, Gatling Kick, Mirror, Throwing Handcuffs, No Sell, Dream Time, Seismic Toss, The Calm Soul, Giant Toss, Chain Throw, Chump Change (over level 50), Master Blow

Enhancements: Enhanced Agility (x2), Enhanced Strength (x2), encyclopedic knowledge of all laws, better-than-photographic memory, incorruptible

Evolves: Unknown

Evolves From: None

OfficerJenny was the second breed of Post-Sukebe Pokegirls to be created, right after the NurseJoy. And like the NurseJoy, they quickly became well-regarded by the rest of the world, with the obvious exception of the criminal element. They are good fighters, focusing mainly on grappling and takedown maneuvers, and are incapable of being bought off or bribed in any way. The scientists who made the first of the breed wanted a breed who could counteract police corruption, and found that in the creation of the OfficerJenny. In addition, the Leagues wanted a policeman capable of taking other Pokegirls, the OfficerJenny (called Jenny for short), fit that bill superbly. Unlike the ineffective tactics of human police forces before the Revenge War, these Pokegirls are far more capable of fending for themselves. Most often, however, they are teamed up with another Pokegirl, such as a Growlie or a Hound.

When confronted by corruption in their fellow officers, they will automatically try to correct the situation, confronting them with their Tamer and either getting them to fix their ways or turning them in. OfficerJennies regard the so-called 'blue wall' as an insult to honest cops everywhere. If their TAMER is the one that turns out to be corrupt, they will be hurt on a spiritual level, suffering great emotional pain and regarding their Tamer's corruption to be a failure on their own part. But despite this, they will NOT hesitate to turn their Tamer in if they cannot change his corrupt ways, although their methods of change will be far less harsh than the methods they would use on someone not connected to them so deeply.

OfficerJennies are loyal to the law almost completely. But they are also aware that at times there is a difference between 'law' and 'what is right.' If at all possible, they will let some things slide (such as the stealing of food to prevent starvation, the emasculation of a severely abusive Tamer, etc.), pretending they didn't witness it. But more often than not they will follow the law and arrest the person involved. Jennies possess a strong belief that without law, chaos will reign. As such, they as a breed entire PASSIONATELY hate Macavity and Jenova.

OfficerJennies make good Alphas, not because of their fighting skills, but because they tend to think great strategies for combat and are great at keeping other Pokegirls in line. They have a high level of street smarts and cunning, and can easily be trained as detectives, possessing a great capability for reasoning and common sense decisions.

OfficerJennies, or Jennies, as they are usually called, are almost always found amongst the harems of police officers, rarely being seen with wandering Tamers and NEVER being seen in the wild. Their feral state is similar to that of an Ingenue or Bimbo, and usually results with them being trapped in their own handcuffs, usually in an uncomfortable position. They always have green eyes, similar facial appearances, and hair that is some shade of blue, although they use different hairstyles. There is more various to their appearance if they have DNA in them other than OfficerJenny or human DNA, but the commonality of appearance is unusual. NurseJoys have a similar genetic anomaly. Considered an oversight, this was never corrected in subsequent batches. Both breeds manage to find ways to look different from one another, so this was considered a non-issue. Their bust is usually a B or C cup without Bloom Powder, and is always proportionate to their height, usually 6 feet tall.

Thresholding into an OfficerJenny is not unheard of, and commonly occurs amongst the families of retired police officers. It never occurs in the wild, however, as mentioned earlier.

---

GROWLIE, the Puppy Pokegirl

Type: Anthropomorphic (Canine) Humaniod

Element: Fire

Frequency: Uncommon (Crimson, Indigo)

Diet: near human diet (omnivore, but mostly fish and nuts)

Role: originally tracking and frontline, make excellent pets or police pokegirls

Libido: High

Strong Vs: Bug, Fire, Ice, Plant, Steel

Weak Vs: Ground, Rock, Water

Attacks: Flamethrower, Ignite, Growl, Slash, Bite, Tackle, Takedown.

Enhancements: Increased strength and sense of smell, High endurance and loyalty

Evolves: Growltit (Normal, experience needed)

Evolves From: Goth (Sarcastic Goth sub-types only; Fire Stone)

Loyalty, this is the first trait that comes into mind when one thinks about a Growlie and this reputation is well earned. Besides being extremely loyal, Growlie also has a brave and trustworthy nature, it will fearlessly stand up to bigger and stronger foes to protect its tamer from harm. Growlie along with Kittens and Catgirls were one of the breeds to fiercely battle Mao during the Rebellion, their loyalty to their owners being so strong that to break it leaves the Growlie crippled both physically and mentally. They simply do not betray their masters, being loyal to the end.

Growlie has a distinctive appearance; the canine features with the red fur with black tiger stripes down her back, arms, legs and tail is complimented by blonde hair on the top of her head and a short soft blonde fur on her chest, stomach, groin and inner thighs. Growlie has a nose which grants them a greatly enhanced sense of smell allowing them to follow scent trails days old, making them excellent trackers. Their high endurance means they will track a target for days even weeks and when they finally catch up their enhanced strength means they can quickly overpower and bring down the target.

This combination of traits not only makes Growlie an excellent pet but also makes them one of the few pokegirls ideally suited for police work along with others such as Tigress. Once a Growlie is selected for police duty they are assigned and bonded to a partner then both the Police officer and the Growlie go on an intensive training course that taxes both the Officer and the Growlie. By the end of the course both the Officer and Growlie forge a strong partnership allowing them to function better as a pair, instinctively understanding each others strengths and weaknesses. The Growlie will also learn methods of tracking and taking down criminals which makes them superior combatants than pet owned Growlies.

Growlie is a popular pet pokegirl and often considered members of the family much like Kittens, Hounds, Pidgies, Evas, Bunnies and Titmice however they do not share quite the same level of popularity as the others because they require such large amounts of love and attention. Another pokegirl is recommended as the Growlies can then occupy themselves by 'playing' with the other pokegirls. They are very competitive with any and ALL amorous or lustful pokegirls.

Growlies are often found in a large family with at least one other pokegirl for this reason, their intelligence is such that they are quite capable of doing any job a human can do although their favourite job will be patrolling and protecting the family home which they consider to be their territory.

Unlike most canine types, Growlie gets on well with cat type Pokegirls especially when both discover a mutual love of fish and love of play. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it's strongly suggested that you not have any of the Domina-type Pokegirls, though. Growlies and Domina-types do NOT like each other.

Feral Growlie are very protective of their territory, they will bark and bite fiercely to repel intruders from their territory; however they will not viciously maul or kill their opponent like some feral Pokegirls but instead aim to drive their opponent off. The favoured territory of a Growlie would be near a river or large stream running through forest land, predominately because Growlie are omnivores like humans but particular like nuts and fish as their primary diet, nuts mostly only available in forest land whilst fish are obviously only available around large water sources. Growlie are excellent at foraging for food in the wild making them idea for tamers who will be spending large amounts of time in the wild, also due to their love of fish they are awesome fishers which is odd for a fire type!

One must be careful though, in the wild Growlie tend to form packs which have a similar intense loyalty to each other akin to that they develop with their tamers, any attempt to harm or pokeball any member of the pack is likely to incite a violent response from the entire pack, worse yet the pokeballed Growlie will refuse to bond to its owner and will attack once released from the pokeball before attempting to return to its pack by backtracking the tamers scent unless heavy mental conditioning is applied.

If one wants to capture a feral Growlie without trouble then the entire pack must be caught together or the individual Growlie must be encouraged to come willingly with the tamer though whatever methods.

---

GROWLTIT, the Warm And Fuzzy Pokegirl

Type: Anthropomorphic (Canine) Humaniod

Element: Fire

Frequency: Uncommon (Crimson League)

Diet: near human diet (omnivore, but mostly fish and nuts)

Role: originally tracking and frontline, make excellent pets or police pokegirls

Libido: Average (High if other amorous pokegirls in area)

Strong Vs: Bug, Fire, Ice, Plant, Steel

Weak Vs: Ground, Rock, Water

Attacks: Flamethrower, Rage, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Growl, Slash, Bite, Tackle, Takedown, Quick Attack.

Enhancements: Strength, Speed, Elemental-based powers, Endurance

Evolves: Denmother (Special, giving birth), Sparkanine (Thunder Stone), Huskie (Ice Crystal)

Evolves From: Growlie (Normal, experience needed)

Growltit is the evolution of Growlie, its appearance is still similar with that of Growlie as it retains the canine features with the red fur with black tiger stripes down her back, arms and legs. It is the blonde hair on the top of her head that changes becoming wilder and spiker, the blonde fur on her chest, stomach, groin and inner thighs also changes, becoming longer and more pronounced. The most dramatic change is that of Growltit's tail which changes from being red tiger striped fur to being the same long blonde fur as on her chest and the addition of long blonde fur down her arms and her lower legs.

Muscles on Growltit are much more visible than they were when she was a Growlie, her new form visually showing her increased strength, speed and greatly improved endurance. Other improvements over its Growlie form include greater access and control over its fire elemental powers, it is now far more capable of using powerful fire based moves against its enemies.

Growltit has a much more laid back attitude and lower libido except when an amorous pokegirl comes onto their master at which point they can get very defensive over their masters unless they are used to the other Pokegirl. The laid back attitude means that Growltit will sleep more often when it has the free time instead of hunting down her master and demanding attention, they can often be found asleep, curling up with cat type Pokegirls in a patch of sunlight, a sight which can melt most hearts.

It still has a preferred diet of nuts and fish although is now more prone to sharing its fish with cat types and not provoking a food fight over who gets the last fish. Its skill as a fisher increases thanks to its speed and faster reflexes; it is also much more patient in waiting for its food ensuring it doesn't lose a fish due to impatience.

Pet owners tend to favour Growltit over Growlie because she becomes much less demanding for their time and affection allowing them to get on with other things. Growltit still likes cat type Pokegirls, able to keep both itself and the cat type amused for endless hours but unfortunately they still don't like domina types and it is NOTrecommended to have them together in any fashion.

Growltit gains increased popularity over Growlie because of her calmer attitude and no longer needing another Pokegirl to keep her distracted, bringing her up to the same level of popularity as Kittens, Hounds, Pidgies, Evas, Bunnies and Titmice when it comes to the pet market. They still make excellent pets for home security, tirelessly patrolling and protecting the family home.

Growltit is a difficult evolution to reach, requiring Growlie to be quite powerful and experienced in fighting before it will evolve into Growltit. This is why the police force train the much easier to acquire Growlie to be police pokegirls rather than Growltit which seems to be even more suitable for police work. Those planning on breaking the law however should be wary, any Growltit serving in the police force is likely to have long years of experience and much less likely to be thrown off during a pursuit. Her increased speed, endurance and strength can bring most chases to a quick end even those which require tracking the target across large areas of wilderness.

The increase in Growltit's speed means it is hard for their human partners to catch up by foot, so the Growltit is given much more autonomy even in less liberal leagues. Human partners of Growltit tend to have motorbikes to help them keep up with their pokegirl when she gets moving.

Growltit can also be found in daycare centres and schools in the more liberal leagues as they are considered damned near human and trustworthy enough to be around kids. Children especially the younger ones love them as they are warm and fuzzy, thus great to cuddle with. This is something that the much more active and demanding Growlie couldn't do, for fear it might accidentally harm the children with its more boisterous attitude.

In the wild Growltit's tend to be the pack leaders as long as there are no Denmother present, leading and controlling the pack throughout their daily lives, packs with a Growltit leading them tend to be more close knit and intelligent since Growltit has a slightly more intelligent feral state. The pack will have sentries on watch and will regularly patrol their territory making it more difficult to sneak up on the pack. The Growltit itself will develop slight maternal instincts over those under her causing her to look out for her fellow pack mates far more than normal but this is nothing compared to the instincts she will develop if she evolves into Denmother.

Attempting the capture of a unwilling Growltit is strongly discouraged, not only will you run into the same problems as attempting the capture of a unwilling Growlie but it is one of the few circumstances which can encourage the Growlie pack to leave their territory, in this case to track down their missing leader. This can lead to the unfortunate tamer getting attacked in the middle of the night by an entire pack of angry Growlies, not something that you want to be woken up to. It is recommended to either catch a willing Growltit or get a Growlie and train it up.


	10. Just another day

Author's notes: Not too much going on in this chapter really. Some stuff I needed to do or say with the characters, and setting up for the next chapter.

Chapter 10: Just another day.

Minako sat in the chair with Artemis, the white moon cat, in her lap. She'd been there everyday, often sleeping on the floor nearby, or in that very chair. Her master was still injured and had nearly died several times in the Oldtowne hospital.

While, he did have a strong constitution and seemed to have a high end healign rate for a normal human, he was still not capable of being healed as rapidly or as completely by the methods available as a pokegirl would.

The nursejoy on staff that had been assigned to him had rapidly cast regenerate, and even several applications of the cure spell family of magics, but the damage had been too extensive.

It was a miracle he hadn't died before reaching the hospital.

Normally using such high powered spells would have healed him almost completely within a few minutes. An hour tops. However, it seemed as though his spirit was resisting the outside force attempting to heal it.

It was as though Scott rejected the magical healing, to the extent that even a high end Curaja spell only acted in the fashion of a low level Cure.

Later it was revealed that he was not actually resisting the magic so much as absorbing it. His spiritual etheric matrix was extremely diminished to the extent that he barely qualified as a being with a soul.

Something had completely drained his mana and seemed to have drawn directly on his soul's core energy to try and replenish it.

Once they'd figured this out, they ceased the usage of spells save for regen, and began a potion drip. His medical records showing that he had some minor capacity to accept benefit from such.

As the steady hum of the life support equipment droned on, Minako absently stroked the cat's back fur. She'd steadfastly refused to let the establishment experiment on her new friend, citing that he was a unique magical specimen belonging to her master.

It was the only thing keeping Artemis from being drugged and probed. Though they did insist on a sample of his fur.

Who knew, maybe they could eventually patent his genetics and establish cats in the world again.

"Mina, he'll be ok. I'm sure of it." said Artemis to his charge, and friend. The cat had slowly began to remember her from the days of the moon kingdom. Though he was technically an advisor to the moon princess, he was a member of the house of Venus.

The blond pokegirl sighed softly and stroked his fur a little more. Her master was hurt badly, and it was her fault. If only she'd been stronger, faster, better. If only..

As the despondent girl continued to blame herself for Scott's current situation, the man in question was dreaming.

------

A small meadow in the height of spring. Birds were singing and butterflies flitted about. The raw beauty of this place touched his world weary heart and he rested against a large oak tree.

He didn't know how he had gotten here, or why, but he knew it was his place. This space beyond the angry bitter world. He felt safe here, as though it were some indefinable part of him that was always there.

He wasn't sure of many things in his life, but he knew peace for a while. That is, until the time when memories began to assault him.

Memories of death and destruction. Thoughts of an ancient kingdom torn asunder by war and greed. Then to more modern thoughts of love, and hope.

Inevitably to return to violence.

Over and over in his mind's eye he would relive these moments of joy torn apart. Constantly one single thought would repeatedly occur. If only I had been stronger, faster, better. If only..

This mantra of the mind penetrated his thoughts deeply until a time came when he eventually relived the moments leading to his current physical trauma.

Scott opened his eyes wide in this paradise he found himself in and then he knew. He was hovering on the edge of death.

This beautiful place he found himself in was his last refuge from reality. The center of who he was.

He understood, and in knowing began to take action.

No more did he rest leisurely, but instead he trained.

Scott trained in this timeless place without pause or respite. He did not know hunger, or pain, or exhaustion. Only the drive to become stronger.

In this place inside his mind, he willed opponents for himself. He fought them with everything he had, and continued.

As the days in the outside world passed unknown to him, he would face many thousands of battles. Constantly forcing himself to continue on. He must be stronger. He must be faster. He must be better.

There were people counting on him.

Eventually though his thoughts centered around one thing. The magic. The one thing seemingly denied to him.

He knew he had a strong magical force within him. It's one of the only reasons he still lived. Stubborn determination only goes so far after all.

His struggles with his imaginary opponents ceased, and he focused on all his acquired mystical knowledge. He attempted to will himself more powerful magically.

No matter what spells he tried, or techniques he envisioned, he could not touch that core of power within him. He was denied the one thing that could have made a difference in his last battle.

Finally he said aloud. "Dammit! What's wrong with me."

Scott stood there, his head hung in shame. The secret for the moment, would elude him.

--------

_two weeks later..._

Scott smiled up at Minako's fussy attempt at making him more comfortable. He still had to stay in bed for another week and rest according to the doc's, but at least he was conscious now.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" exclaimed Mina as she fluffed his pillow, inadvertently smothering him with her breasts. His gasping for air gave her the wrong idea though and she giggled out, "Master! I know you need to tame me and SOON, but you're still injured!"

Scott groaned softly under her boobs and she giggled again. She'd have her master back and taming ready in no time. The nursejoy that came by was nice enough, but she didn't really want to be tamed by anyone but her Scott.

Artemis hopped up onto the bed with Scott and settled on his chest purring. He'd been trying to get to know the guy Mina was hanging around with since he'd woken up. Though he felt it necessary to pretend to be a normal cat for some odd reason.

Normally he'd of tried to be as secretive as possible, possibly even remove them from Scott's general area of habitation altogether. Mina had adamantly refused to be separated from him, so he'd had no choice.

The man gazed down at the moon cat and then stroked his fur. He'd always loved cats back home even if they were devious little hairballs bent on conquering the world.

"So, they let you stay in here despite the usual 'no pets allowed' stuff hospitals have?"

The cat gazed at him curiously and meowed. Scott smirked at the obvious attempt to continue acting like a normal cat. If they wanted to pretend to be normal, whatever normal passed for in this perverted world anyway, then sure whatever.

"Well I guess they think he's a good little kitty?" asked Minako nervously. She didn't like keeping secrets from her master.

Scott chuckled then said, "Yeah, probably. Either that or they don't know what the hell he is and figures he's just some sort of random furry mascot or something."

Artemis sniffed disdainfully and swished his tail about. Keeping quiet might be harder than he thought.

Their musing and good natured conversation was interrupted a moment later by knock on the door.

Minako opened it and revealed an older man wearing a sensible set of traveling clothes, with a sword sheathed at his hip. It took Scott a moment to recognize the man, due to not having seen him but for an hour or two nearly two months ago.

"Ah, thank you for allowing me entrance good lady of the house." the man said amicably, ever the gentleman it seems.

Minako blushed and stepped back. He'd already scored a few points with her apparently.

"So.. what brings the guildleader of Oldtowne to my room at the ungodly hour of two in the afternoon?" asked Scott casually. His hand stroking Artemis' back. The tenseness in the cat at this new arrival was not unnoticed by the man.

Aaron, the older gentleman in question nodded. "To the point I see. A good quality in our journeyman members."

Scott blinked at that. Last he checked he didn't even qualify as an apprentice yet. He was still in the initiate stages. "Well, I suppose it is.. for them."

The old man quirked an eyebrow thinking, '_boy doesn't miss a beat.'_ If Scott had heard those thoughts he would have pointed out that he was nearly thirty years old. Though, Aaron could readily have countered with something about him still being in diapers when he was in his hundred fourties. Ah the blessings of longevity.

"Yes, it certainly is. At any rate, I thought i'd come check up on you personally and deliver the good news of your appointment to journeyman." stated the man lightly.

Scott nodded at that, but was suspicious. It occurred to him to wonder why the guild leader had taken a personal interest in him.

Aaron seeing his suspicious gaze experienced a mental chuckle and said, "That and of course let you know that we've at last located a few suitable pokegirls to add to your team. I brought the data-pad with their type names and information, as well as the ball the one you choose will be placed in."

Minako frowned slowly. Suddenly the daper old man with the winning smile was becoming annoying. Though she knew eventually she'd have to share her master, she didn't expect it to be today!

"I'lll pass." said Scott simply.

The old man blinked slowly trying to comprehend that. Someone was turning down a free pokegirl? "I'm sorry.. i'm sure I misunderstood. Did you just turn down a promotion?"

Scott quirked his eyebrow, yet again. "I have to accept a new person on my team to be allowed to go up a rank?"

Minako unconsciously slipped a finger along her golden chain weapon. She wouldn't hurt such an innocent seeming old man, not really.. hehe..?

Artemis was attempting to decipher what was going on in the conversation. He'd learned quite a few things from Minako about pokegirls. Not that he believed much of it. Yet to hear someone so casually attempt to give a person to another was more than disturbing.

"You have to have at least two pokegirls in your team to go beyond apprenticeship. A journeyman member undergoes far more dangerous assignments than previous ranked members." said the man simply.

Scott sighed and said, "I'll tell ya what.. I could care less about promotions.. still let me see the pad. If there's someone that I think would benefit from working with us i'll talk to my team about it."

Minako pouted sadly. Well, there you had it. She just KNEW she'd have a new harem sister. Though now that she thought about it, it might not be so bad. At least she'd have someone else to tame her if her master got knocked out again. She never wanted to go back to being feral.

The man smiled lightly and approached Scott, but before he handed him the pad the younger man asked, "Hey wait.. wasn't my starter pokegirl privelege rescinded so I could get equipment instead?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes, of course it was. However, the guild heads convened their quarterly meeting just yesterday. One topic was advancement of rank. Your name came up due to the mission you'd completed."

Scott nodded. "So..?"

The old man continued, "When asked about what else you'd done, a report was shown citing how you knew a little of the nature of these new youma pokegirls."

Aaron suspected he knew far more than you let on, but that is neither here nor there. "The point is that with your statements that only magic can harm them effectively your candidacy for promotion was accepted."

The younger man considered this for a moment and nodded. Artemis, though, widened his little kitty eyes at the man he was sitting on. How could he have known that?

Scott held out his hand for the data-pad and Aaron handed it over.

He rooted through the fifteen names and types and nearly decided not to worry about it. One profile caught his attention though. At first he didn't know just why, but as he gazed at the information something inside him clicked.

"This amazon-chan? She was orphaned and raised on the Dellas ranch a few miles from here?" he asked casually.

The older man glanced down at the pad, and nodded. "That is what it says..."

Scott considered a moment. What were the odds that he'd found another piece to the puzzle this soon? Worse yet, could he risk NOT checking into this?

Minako became curious and wandered over to see who they were talking about. She noticed a tall pokegirl with a ponytail. Nothing seemingly out of the ordinary for her type.

"Orphaned when the plane her parents were on went down?" she asked sadly. She knew what it was like to be all alone in the world.

Scott took that as an admission of acceptance. Then he glanced down at the cat. "Whaddya you think kitty? Think we should add another lost soul to the group?"

The cat stared at him for a moment, and seemed ready to say no with a hiss. Something in the man's eyes changed his mind though and he simply mewed.

"Well then.. looks like we have ourselves a new team mate."

Aaron nodded. The young man's leadership style was strange, but hey whatever worked for him.

He coded in the information, and then excused himself to go finish transport via the pokecenter next door.

"Master..?" began Minako.

Scott nodded, "Don't worry Minako. Please just trust that I know what i'm doing. I have a feeling we may need the help in the near future, and besides.. I don't think any of us here can say we don't know what it's like to be all alone in the world."

Artemis rrawled and swished his tail, while the blond girl hugged him. At least this 'Scott' person seemed to be a nice guy. Couldn't fight worth a damn, but nice.

-------

Whelp there we have chapter 10. A nice bit of filler by establishing Artemis a bit, and showing Scott actually paying a little recuperation wise for once. Throw in to a lesser extent a mild bit of foreshadowing.

I'm not usually big on filler chapters, but unfortunately to tell a story decently one must actually have scenes link together somehow. hehe.

Otherwise a story would end up being a few dozen one shot chapters, and not a complete story at all.


	11. Black Metal

Author's notes: No Farfuck'd were harmed in the writing of this chapter.. much to the author's sorrow.

Chapter 11: Black metal

Scott grimaced to himself for the third time today as he replayed the scenario in his head. He'd let the pony-tail fool him. His initial suspicion that this was probably NOT going to be Makoto or Lita depending on how the name went had turned out to be valid.

"Master mumbles to himself a lot..." muttered the newly arrived pokegirl as she stretched her arms.

Minako smirked at her and nodded, "Yeah, he does doesn't he."

The temporarily bed-ridden man sighed to himself. '_Now what am I going to do..'_ he thought.

Certainly she still seemed extremely familiar, even if she wasn't wearing her hair in a pony-tail.

He was trying to place where he might have seen her before, but she wasn't being forth coming with a name. Of course he hadn't asked her yet either. Then again, he hadn't even verified that she was in fact an Amazonchan.

Scott opened up his pokedex and scanned her, rather rude of him really. He blinked, and then stared at his dex. "Um.. ok... so.. that explains why you aren't who I thought you were."

The two pokegirls, plus one mooncat glanced over at him.

"Oh..?" asked new girl.

Scott nodded. "Yeah, strange, why would you pretend to be an Amazonchan?"

The girl growled indignantly, "I AM an Amazonchan! Don't you see my beautifully beautiful muscles!"

The man groaned softly and glanced down at his pokedex.

----

Farfuck'd, the delusional pokegirl

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Magic

Frequency: Rare (Crimson) to Unknown (any other League)

Diet: near human diet (herbivore)

Role: subterfuge and sabotage

Libido: Average

Strong Vs: None

Weak Vs: Varies

Attacks: Reflect, Absorb, Imitate, Counter

Enhancements: Copying the techniques of opponents, Enhanced Reflexes (x3), increased high learning curve

Evolves: None

Evolves From: Shadowgirl (Moon Shard)

FarFuck'Ds were designed, along with their metamorphic sisters of the Titto species, to counter the most powerful warriors in the human armies, but also infiltrate enemy bases and sabotage weapons and vehicles. However, FarFuck'Ds were found to have a critical problem. They often obsessed on styles, ideals, and/or other Pokégirls to the point that they became dangerously fanatical about them. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that they often locked on things like manga, cheesy B movies and the more impressive Pokégirls. Ironically, while it helped them perform their duties, it became impossible for them to acknowledge that they are a Pokégirl (or at least of the FarFuck'D type).

Once locked on an idea or a Pokégirl type, they will imitate it as best as they can, to the point where they are actually confused for the 'Real McCoy'. They will even allow themselves to be beaten if their 'type' would lose. Most trainers who've dealt with them REFUSE to keep them, often releasing them back into the wild or giving them to researchers.

----

Scott sighed, '_just freaking great..'_

Upon hearing the electronic voice pronounce her a Farfuck'd she flailed her arms wildly and exclaimed, "I am NOT a Farfuck'd! I'm an Amazonchan!"

"How, the heck did you trick the dex into thinking you were an Amazonchan?" he asked curiously.

The new girl pouted and then huffed. "I'm not a Farfuck'd", she said with a pout.

"Right... so do you have a name?" He asked curiously.

"..Um... a name.. a name..er... of course I have a name! For I am the greatest Amazonchan ever! All great Amazonchan's have names!", said the girl, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Ok... pretend for a second.. that you are instead.. a Farfuck'd pokegirl.. what would you be called?", he asked casually.

"How would I know how a mere Farfuck'd thinks?!" exclaimed the girl irately.

Scott smirked at this, "So you're not up to the challenge of telling me what your name would be if you .. were.. a Farfuck'd?"

"Of course i'm up to the challenge! Akane Tendo never backs away from a challenge!" she exclaimed with fevor.

"A..kane.. Tendo.." murmured Scott with a slowly spreading horror. '_Oh hell no..!'_

"That's right! Remember that name! I'm the best Amazonchan around! No one beats me!" exclaimed the girl happily. Forgetting for the moment that she'd named herself after her true pokegirl type.

Scott took the pillow from under his head and slowly pressed it against his face. '_One two.. Akane's come for you..'_

The girl kept babbling in the background about how she was the best there ever was, and will be. '_Three.. four.. better lock your door..'_

Minako started cheering along with the delusional pokegirl as Scott pressed down and tried to breathe non-breathable pillow. '_Five.. six.. grab your crucifix..'_

"Hey! You can summon a hammer too? I didn't think Amazonchan's used those!" exclaimed Minako as she giggled at the girl.

Scott's eyes widened in alarm as he felt himself beginning to asphyxiate. Soon.. soon the nightmare would end. _'Seven..eight.. better stay up late..'_

The young man squealed in dismay as his pillow was ripped away, and Akane the Farfuck'd pokegirl beamed happily at him. "Now I get to tame my new master!" She exclaimed happily, before ripping her clothes off and standing before him in all her naked non-glory.

'_Nine.. ten.. she'll need to be tamed again..'_

Scott's eyes widen in unutterable dread before screeching in the outer most depths of incalculable terror.

--

Minako bolted from her chair at the unearthly scream of terror that erupted from her master's general area. In front of her sitting upright in bed, was the human being she loved dearly panting desperately for air.

"A..kane.. no.. no.. no more.. can't.. no.. tomboy.. no.. UNCUTE!' flailed the deranged man, as he tried to fight off the insidious anime inspired night terror. Obviously he wasn't a big fan of violently aggressive chicks that over-reacted at the drop of a hat and always jumped to conclusions.

"Master!", exclaimed Minako as she raced to his side.

She wrapped her arms around him and tried to calm him down by rocking him back and forth. "What's wrong ma.. Scott..?"

The man slowly began to calm down a moment at a time, and then tremorously replied, "I..s-see..uncute tomboy people.."

"Wha..?" the girl began, but Scott continued. "I. I.. had a dream.. and you were there..!" he said, while looking at Minako. Then he pointed at Artemis, "And you were there..!"

Just then Aaron walked in with a pokeball in his hand, "and THAT was there!" he exclaimed while waving his finger at the offending pokeball in abject terror.

The older man blinked and then tilted his head curiously.

-------

Scott drank another glass of water with shaking hands, and nodded. '_Courage man! You can do this.. just.. press the little button..aheh.. heh.._'

Minako hugged her master closely to her, while Artemis sat in his lap. Neither knew what an 'Akane' was, but apparently it was more horrible than a widow to shake the normally unshakeable man.

The man took a deep breath and said, "Here goes.." before pressing the button and tossing the ball out into the open area of the room.

The red light flashed out and soon a tallish pokegirl with a long brown ponytail and a good deal of upper body 'talent' appeared.

Scott sighed a moment later in relief when he checked his pokedex.

---

AMAZONCHAN, the fist fighter pokegirl

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Fighting

Frequency: Uncommon, mainly found in Jozetsuzoku Preserve

Diet: any human style food except alcoholic beverages and milk

Role: Fighters, craftswomen

Libido: Low (High with a master they like/trust)

Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Ice, Rock, Normal, Steel

Weak Vs: Flying, Psychic

Attacks: Pummel, Dynamic Punch, Uppercut, Comet Punch, Gatling Punch, Chi Blast

Enhancements: Enhanced Strength (x5), Enhanced Agility (x3), Enhanced Speed (x4), Durability

Evolves: Herochan (normal), Armsmistress (special training; works on it's speed)

Evolves From: Tyamazon(battle stress; special)

Amazonchans are usually not much taller than their previous evolution as a Tyamazon, and are usually between a B or C-cup. Bigger breasts are not entirely unheard of, but they are very uncommon to say the least. Amazonchans also tend to have hair colors which are not normally in the human color palette, such as dark green or neon pink. Stripes of other colors in their hair are also seen, though like large breasts, these aren't very common. Amazonchan are more commonly found than any of the other Amazon-types, due to the Jozetsuzoku Preserve. Although Tamers wanting an Amazonchan from the preserve must prove him or herself to the elders of the preserve, they find that these Amazonchans are more dedicated to their training than ones that were evolved from fully-feral Tyamazons.

The Amazonchan are stronger but slower than their sisters, the Amazonlees, and slower still when compared to Amazonkapoeraa. They are also more human in appearance than the Amachop or Amachoke. They are quite skilled at fighting hand-to-hand, but focus largely on punches and other hand-skills over kicks. Amazonchans usually study Tae Kwon Do, Boxing or other largely upper-body based styles. Some may even study Sumotori, though they study the principles and moves, and do NOT seek to gain the often-associated body weight. Amazonchans have a strong almost cat/dog-like rivalry with Amazonlees. And like Pre-Sukebe Era cats and dogs, only those who've grown up together will lack this animosity. This animosity will reassert itself if the Amazonchan meets a different Amazonlee, but it will be directed entirely towards the other Amazonlee. However, when the Amazonkapoeraa are considered, the Amazonlee and Amazonchan have been known to work together grudgingly to deal with the annoying Amazonkapoeraa before resuming their own feud.

Amazonchans usually enjoy activities that involve using their hands, such as whittling, sculpting, sewing and such, making them a bit more popular with tamers on a budget. They tend to be more patient and careful than Amazonlees, except when around their leggy-kin. Amazonchans also like lifting weights to build up their arm muscles and can sometimes be workout partners for Amachops. It is recommended that Amazonchans not spar with any rock or steel type Pokégirls, as sometimes they have difficulty regulating their strength during training sessions. Tamers are advised to procure a Titapod or a Damsel whenever they obtain an Amazonchan- they are perfect sparring partners, as the former has defenses that are difficult to overcome and the latter cannot feel pain.

Amazonchans have a peculiarity when it comes to foods, alcohol will make an Amazonchan ill while milk products will actually act as an intoxicant. Some Amazonchans have been known to join a Milk Anonymous program while in large towns. This one week, crash-course program teaches Amazonchans how to avoid milk and keep from becoming addicted later on in life. Often, this program will take the place of the Amazonchan's standard training. Tamers have noticed that their Pokégirl's libido spikes whenever they take time off for training... some can never seem to wait for the program to be finished after getting only a few days into it.

-----

'_So far so good..'_, Thought Scott as he gazed at the pokegirl in front of him.

She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a white tank top. Nothing out of the ordinary about that.

"S..so.. are you my new tamer then?" she asked softly. Her eyes seeking to try and bore into him. '_Wow, he looks like my old boyfriend.. no wait he's cuter than him because he dumped me when I started thresholding..'_

Had Scott known what she was thinking at that exact moment, he'd of tried to dance for joy or run for the hills. There's no way to know which.

Scott smiled shyly and nodded, "Yeah... what's your name..?"

The pokegirl flushed. She had been expecting a new name actually. I mean wasn't that sort of how it worked..? "Um.. It was Lita, but.."

"But..?" asked Scott softly.

"Well.. I um.. would rather have a new name.. if.. if that's ok..?" she asked nervously. Her old life was gone, and being called 'Lita' would only make her remember being human.

Scott smiled softly in reply. "Ok... um.. How about ..Makoto..?"

The pokegirl sounded the name out and thought, '_Sounds weird.. but.. kind of exotic..'_

She nodded a moment later and Scott smiled again. "Well.. I guess.. we should all introduce ourselves...?"

Minako beamed at him and rushed over to the new girl. All her former nervousness about a new 'sister' set aside at the idea of making a female friend. "Hi! I'm Minako, but master calls me Mina-chan!"

Scott pointed at the mooncat. "That hairball is Artemis. Well, at least I think that's his name. Since that's the only thing anyone's called him besides Mr. Fuzzybutt."

The cat in question did his best impersonation of a frown, in Scott's general direction before hopping down to sniff at the new blood.

"Um.. well HI!" laughed Makoto nervously, as she tried to take in all the happy smiling faces. She wasn't used to such a warm reception at all. Life had been rather, less than friendly to her. She'd developed a bit of a violent reputation in school after her parents died, and when she'd recently thresholded into her current state that aggression had only gotten worse.

"Uh.. you.. read my file right?" She asked.

Scott nodded, a smile on his lips still.

"OH.. um.. well aren't you afraid of me..?" she asked curiously.

Scott knew it wasn't really supposed to be his line to say, but as he still had no clue where Usagi was he had to fill in, "Should I be..?"

Makoto's face went a little slack for a second, her eyes beginning to shine brilliantly in the light with unshed tears.

The teary eyed moment soon evolved into a full on snuggle fest. Complete with some extremely careful and very light taming. With Scott in his current condition, and without the restraints that would sadly be considered necessary, they couldn't risk getting too involved. Makoto would accidentally squish him, much like a grape.

--------

Scott stood in the forested meadow attempting to grasp his wayward mana again. He could find it, wrap himself in it, well enough. He just couldn't create a spell with it yet.

No matter what he tried, regular spells just did not work.

He glanced over at where Minako and Makoto were busily beating the snot out of each other and smiled offhandedly. They were so active and full of energy. Neither one of them ever had to be alone again if he could do anything about it.

Thoughts of possible loneliness hit him hard though. He 'had' to learn to use his mana. All the tests showed that he had at least the level of power that your typical Witch pokegirl would have.

Nothing massive, but not anything to sneeze at either. Well beyond the typical human norm, for someone who never trained beyond what his homeworld had to offer. Admittedly, that was rather slim pickings. Mostly ritual stuff, and such.

He ran through the list of spells he memorized one more time, and repeatedly failed.

Scott tried slowly allowing his power to build around the words and thoughts of the spell. Nothing happened.

He tried building to as much power as he could and forcing the idea of it into the spell, like loading a gun. Nothing happened.

He tried praying and hoping something would happen. As far as he knew nothing happened.

Everything he could think of he tried. He ran down every list of every spell and way to cast said spell that he could remember. Nothing worked.

With a sigh he was about to turn around after the third hour working on this, today alone, when a random thought occurred to him that made him chuckle.

"Yeah, that would have been so kick ass. Too bad you can't just string random song lyrics from heavy metal songs together to make powerful spells. I'd so be a bastard!!" laughed Scott cheerfully to himself, momentarily forgetting how necessary developing SOME kind of magical power would be.

Just for shits and giggles he recalled one of his favorite black metal bands. Hell, they pretty much invented the term 'black metal.'

He powered up his mana, and felt it surging through him and with a smirk he sang out in a harsh 'metal voice'

_"Lay down your souls to the_

_gods rock and roll!"_

He wasn't paying attention or he'd of notice the surge of power begin to move to his outstretched hands just before he screamed, "BLACK METAL!"

What happened next would have been funny as hell, had it happened to anyone but him.

A hard wedge shape force of black energy shot out from him, the force of which knocked him flat on his ass.

The wedge of dark energy traveled a good fifteen feet before dispersing, and mere seconds after it had left him Scott felt his strength failing. It almost felt like the very life had been ripped out of him, after casting that spell.

Minako, Artemis, and Makoto raced over to him, seeing that he'd shouted and was now sitting on his ass panting.

Minako cried out, "Master..! What happened!"

Scott wobbled a little and then drunkenly said, "Black Metal baaaby.. woohoo.." then promptly passed the hell out.

-----

Whelp there's our chapter 11.

I know I know.. booo hisss.. tamer gets a power up. Trust me at this point he's no better off than he would have been had he been throwing roses. hehe.

We have our next Senshi on the team, and who knows what the next chapter shall bring.


	12. Convergence

Disclaimer: If you're happy and you know.. and you clap your hands.. please don't talk to me on the bus. Also, I do not own anything to do with anything written herein besides a few character concepts, the character of Scott, the town name.. and such. Everything else is pretty much swiped from other places.

Author's notes: I've been on a writing kick of late apparently. yay. Enjoy please.

-------------------------

A moderately tall blond man in what appeared to be a gray colored modified japanese male school uniform wandered along the crystal prisons. The smoky surface revealed to him, the several dozen 'pokegirls' of this world that they had taken for study and energy draining.

It was the height of annoyance to him that such creatures despite their astonishing powers and life force, were ill-suited for the type of energy the negaverse needed. Yes, they certainly served, but even the strongest of them seemed to lack that necessary 'oomph' derived from a standard human being.

They'd make excellent shock troops though, once their spirits were broken. Already he had begun devising ways to mimic the local customs and set up 'tamers'. Yes, such a plan would be quite ingenius.

Slip one of these negaverse influenced pokegirls into the harems of a few random idiots, and then watch the fun as they suck the foolish humans dry for the glory of the negaverse.

A low chuckle escaped his lips. Nothing could stop his plans, nothing...

------

Chapter 12: Convergence.

------

Scott came awake with his customary grogginess. Upon looking around he made a mental note. '_I.V. bag.. check.. stuck in hospital type bed.. check..massive headache... check.. multiple looks of concern coming from Minako directed at poor little me.. Check... yep, it's official.. it must be Tuesday..'_

"Master..! You really need to stop doing that!" exclaimed Minako as she pounced onto his bed and gave him and heartfelt snuggle.

Makoto, uncertain what to do since she was still feeling like the new girl, just walked over and knelt down.

Artemis for his part seemed happy that he was doing better, but was otherwise unconcerned.

"Yeah well.. you know me.. i'll do my best.." said the man, as he yawned softly.

He glanced at the calendar and sighed. He'd been out of it for two days. Heck, it really WAS Tuesday.

"So.. um.. master.." began Makoto. She wasn't sure what to say to him. He seemed like an awesome guy and all, but they hadn't really talked much, yet.

Scott smiled softly at her and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Sleeping beauty's awake I see?" came a voice from the doorway. Aaron walked in with a look of curiousity on his face.

"Yeah, though with a face like mine I could have used a few more weeks." laughed Scott merrily.

Minako giggled and Makoto murmured, "looks.. alright to me.."

Scott picked her hand up and casually tried to bite it, but she pulled it back and squinted at him.

He grinned at the girl and then smiled a little more normally.

Aaron chuckled lightly and said, "Well thought i'd once again come visit since you seemed to not heed the doctor's advice to 'take it easy.'

The layed up man nodded and said, "Always nice when fans come to visit.."

The older man smirked. "Well, there is that. There's also the matter of a mission that's come up at the office. I recognize your current status as a hospital live in, but I figured it would be right up your alley."

If looks could kill, and some could, Minako's glare would have meant swift decisive death.

Scott's response though was a simple, "Whatcha got for me?"

The older man nodded and said, "There's been a rash of recent kidnappings in Verdant falls. A few dozen pokegirls, and at least six tamers have gone missing suddenly in and around the area."

The younger man pondered that a second and then asked, "Ok.. but isn't that the sort of thing the local police force would normally deal with?"

Aaron quirked an eyebrow and nodded, "This is true, but they're understaffed and there's been rumors of strange creatures sighted in the woods. The thing you'd be investigating are these creature sightings."

Scott nodded. That sounded like it would make more sense. Investigating a kidnapping was more of a detective thing anyway. "When do we head out?"

-----

"So this is Verdant Falls huh?" asked the douche bag to himself. He was only a two day trip from Oldtowne now, and soon he'd show his uppity Angel that she'd never be free. When her 'knight' finally proved to be his inferior.

Hopefully, it would make her actually pull her weight. As it was, he was considering just releasing her in the woods.

Henry wondered off towards the little mountain town, to try and find himself lodging for the night. Just outside the gates he found himself confronted by a strange man in a hood.

"You, sir.. are a tamer correct?" asked the man. A hint of blond bangs showing under the hood.

Henry stopped short and looked at the man in annoyance. "Yeah, so what..?"

The blond man drew out a pure black pokeball with strange symbols that flowed around it. "I have a rare pokegirl that may interest you."

Henry was about to laugh in the man's face, but a strange sensation over took him. Glassy eyed he reached his hand out to accept.

His eyes glowing softly the blond man handed him the ball, and then slipped away into the shadows. A sinister smile on his lips.

Henry put the ball on his belt and wandered off into town, like a good little patsy. Thoughts of anger against his angel pokegirl and the idiot who'd tried to take her from him wer slowly turning to murderous rage.

-----

"So, master, What'll we do first when we get to Verdant?" asked Makoto as they trotted along at a moderate pace. She wasn't even remotely tired, though she noticed Scott was starting to lag behind a little.

He didn't happen to have her enhanced strength and stamina, and his solid pace was far more wearing upon his person.

Minako seemed to be doing a bit better than him too. Still, they were going to continue the trip on foot. They had little choice anyway as they were only a few miles from town now.

Scott determinedly continued trotting along just as he had done the last two days. His armor was designed not to chaffe, but he'd love to get out of it soon. "Find the pokecenter, and report to the guild office afterwards most likely. Probably get something to eat after."

Makoto nodded and said, "Oh.. ok..", as she jogged along. Of course the fact that she was jogging along backwards because she wanted to face him while they ran didn't make him feel much better about his physicality.

Minako smiled as she saw the conversation. Makoto was really coming along. Though Scott was still clueless. It was obvious that the Amazonchan pokegirl was wanting a proper taming.

Artemis galloped along with them. He was trying his best to keep up with the longer legged people, but damn didn't they ever slow down? At first he'd been easily able to stay ahead of them, but over time it had become apparent that his stasis for ten thousand years had rather weakened his constitution.

He was still holding up better than Scott though.

"Ya know, i'm considering getting a vehicle of some type soon. Running is good training and all, but there's bound to come a time when we need wheels." said Scott after tripping over a rock and nearly falling. Such were the hazards of running on rocky dirt roads.

Artemis was all for that. They could run for training purposes all they liked. Traveling between towns though.. just go ahead and get there already!

An hour later they were coming up on the town gates, and settled into a casual walking pace.

"So.. this is Verdant Falls?" asked Minako lightly. The small mountain town was actually rather pretty in an old timey fashion. You could see cascading water falls on the green cast mountainous backdrop, The local flora, and random types of moss and lichen caused the mountain to seem like it was covered over in a sheen of green.

Probably where the town had gotten its name in the first place.

As they strolled through the gates, they came upon a sign that read 'you are here' with an arrow pointing back at the town gate.

"Cute.." said Scott off-handedly, before setting off in the direct of the pokecenter near the center of town.

The little rural community was so small that only a few hundred people and pokegirls lived there. The main shopping center was right in the middle of town. The pokecenter easily seen right next to a small tea house.

-----

Henry sat on the bed, his new 'pokegirl' whispering darkly in his ear feeding hi anger and desires. Slowly what little decency that was in him, fled from his mind and he smirked darkly.

Yes, they should all pay. He'd been humiliated enough in his life and all the people in this town deserved to pay. They would fear him, revere him. Yes, he'd make this place HIS.

The blue skinned youma smiled evily revealing wickedly sharp fangs. Things were going perfectly.

"Let's go make some noise.." said the man, darkly.

------

An armored figure knelt down and let their hand run over the grass where they had felt the energy emanting from days before. Yes, this was definitely the place.

One soft word escaped those steel clad lips in a heartbreakingly soft whisper '_Darshe..'_

------

Scott sighed softly as the water ran across his manly naked form. Whatever gods there be in heaven, blessed be he who invented the shower.

After he got done soaking, sudsing, and all manner of things people generally do in a shower, he toweled off and wandered back into his room.

Makoto and Minako were passed out in each others arms. a delightfully naked scene.

Artemis for his part looked vaugely disturbed as only a cat can. Something about hot sweaty girl on girl action while he was in the room tended to make his fur stand up in a strange and interesting manner.

"Get an eye full there kitty cat?" he asked the cat rhetorically. He knew the little furball wouldn't answer him yet. A moment later a low yowl escaped his feline throat and Scott nodded.

"Yeah, I hear ya fella..Hey, you want something? I'm headed to the store." he asked the cat quizzically.

The cat sniffed the air and seemed like it wanted to say something but settled for a disappointed mew.

"I'll get ya some fish, or milk or something from the cafeteria before I leave." said the man, instantly earning a much happier mew from the kitty.

Scott got armored up, belted on his sword and headed out. A few minutes later returning with a big bowl of fresh shredded tuna. Apparently fish at least existed plentifully in this world.

"Hope that'll do. You keep the girls safe alright?" he asked the cat, chuckling for a moment when he noticed the slight head bob from the little creature that struck fear into the hearts of fish everywhere.

Scott headed out, into the small town. The store was just across the street, what could happen right?

-------

Welp there we have chapter 12. I've noticed my chapters are rather short of late, but I think it's soley because of this part of the story, and the speed at which i'm cranking them out.

I could stick a few of these shorter chapters together and release them like once a month.. but no.

As always, feel free to flame me. It gets cold here in the winter and I could always use the free heat.

In the next chapter we'll see some more Sailor Senshisticness, so yay!


	13. Pain in my Ass

Pirotessa wandered randomly around the lab attempting to piece together the latest tidbit of information she'd discovered about the latest interdimensional traveler in her life.

The hospital at her behest, and a lot of legal pressure from various sources in the guild, had sent over his test results after being rendered unconscious twice in a month.

She hmm'ed and humm'ed at the data and tried to piece together just what had changed.

The first set from the time he'd been nearly killed in that pokegirl battle showed a marked increase in magical energy drain. It was like he had suddenly dumped all his mana into a last ditch effort to save himself.

She wasn't surprised at such a finding since it mirrored the report given to the league. At present the thought was that 'he' had somehow destroyed that youma pokegirl. Though for some reason they found no trace dna evidence that it had even been a pokegirl.

No, what concerned her was the shift in his etheric pathways afterwards. He showed a slightly different mapping from the ERI they'd taken right after his last mission.

What bugged her even more, was the sharp incline of black band mana in his make-up after the second episode of unconsciousness. If she didn't know better, she would swear that he had somehow managed to cast a black magic spell. Something a creature with so much elemental, and white mana in his pathways should not be able to do.

It was quite perplexing.

-----------

Chapter 13: A Pain in my Ass.

------------

Scott was wandering down the aisle of the local general store. The place had a little of everything, Though, relatively little of anything worth having.

He had mainly come in to see what they had, but was unimpressed. Still, the owner looked so hopeful that someone would buy something that Scott figured he'd have to do just that.

He eventually came across a small section labeled 'camping supplies'.

He was confused though, as all he saw where small snowglobe like things with miniature tents and houses inside them.

He smirked at the novelty nick-knacks and then stared hard at the price tag. "Thirty-five thousand SLC?!"

The store owner was over in a second with a, "Why yes sir! I knew someone of your distinction would appreciate such fine quality camping supplies. Most people pack away those standard modular tents that take forever to set up, or even those cheap knock off Manawarez tents that only have a single use."

Scott looked at the man, his helmet masking his confusion. Then it clicked. These must be some sort of magical item. They kind of reminded him of those tents and houses from the final fantasy series. There's no way someone could carry around ninety-nine full sized tents in a backpack.

"I'd imagine you're surprised to have found such a good deal on them, but.. well with the recent rash of kidnappings business has been very slow. Just in the hopes someone would come along and buy one I had to mark them down half off." said the man sadly.

The younger man nodded at the middle-aged shopkeep and then checked his dex. After all was said and done, and he'd split the earnings from the last two missions, he'd had around eighty thousand credits to his name. About the equivalent of eight hundred bucks back home.

A tent, would put a serious dent in his pocket, but the idea of a continually reusable tent that automatically set itself up was a good one.

The little cabins and houses caught his eye too. There was quite a nice little variety here.

Eventually he settled on a quaint little cottage and noticed the tag read forty-seven thousand slc.

"Tell me more about this one?" he asked, while pointing at the tennis ball sized cottage in question.

"Ah! An excellent choice for you sir. That cottage is the days of yore model. Though it comes with the same standard wards, magical aids, and protective enchantments as any of the others. There's three rooms, a small work shed, and a basement." said the man smelling a possible sale.

Scott nodded. It sounded like his kind of thing. "Does it come with some kind of pamphlet that details what all these mystical perks might be?"

The man nodded excitedly, "Of course sir!"

The younger man smiled at the eager looking shop owner and said, "Wrap it up for me then would ya."

"Oh gods bless you! It's been two weeks without a decent sale on anything but rope and jerky." the man nearly squealed, before racing off to start to get a non-floor model for Scott.

Scott wandered out of the shop about fifteen minutes later, his eyes on his pamphlet. Apparently this thing was rechargeable at most magic inclined shops in the league, and had nine uses before needing to be recharged.

At the time of the pamphlet's printing last year, the known cost for a recharge was a thousand per use, or five thousand for a full charge. "So.. not as permanently useable as I had believed.. still.. I could see plenty of use coming out of this little fella. Especially if I get a mana-charger like this thing suggests."

His musings were interrupted a moment later by a manly shriek of pain.

Snapping his head around to the sound's origin he saw something that really ruined his day.

A small group of people and pokegirls were falling to the ground limply while a blue skinned chick seemed to be doing an all too familiar energy drain.

His first instinct was to run get the girls, but there was no time. He'd have to try and help as much as possible. Despite knowing that he probably wouldn't amount to much.

Scott raced over towards the seeming war zone, after putting his newest toy inside his belt pouch.

Hoping to catch the creature from behind Scott launched a brutal overhead attack that slammed forcefully into the web-fingered chick. All he accomplished with this was an irritated spinning backhand from the youma that knocked him on his ass, and slightly dented his helmet.

His vision swam for a second, before he found himself lifted into the air in another familiar scenario followed a nasty, "Give me your energy!"

Scott, righted himself enough mentally to kick out at the creature but couldn't manage nearly enough force to harm it. Worse yet he had thought he was kicking a brick wall the creature was so tough.

The youma shook him violently, and continued demanding his life energy. The rattling around beginning to make the man nauseas.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" came a familiar voice from behind him. Scott mentally sighed in relief.

"Who the hell are you?!" snapped the creature as she continued to shake our mighty hero.

"I'm Sailor V! V is for Victory!" she exclaimed while making a peace sign and rapidly opening and closing those two fingers in front of her.

"You gotta be kidding meeee..!" snarled the creature, before tossing Scott aside casually like a ragdoll.

The man slowly got to his feet as the original Sailor senshi and the current monster of the day squared off.

"Kidding..?! Jokes and laughter are for people with good hearts! In the name of joyous hearts everywhere I will punish you with my whip!" exclaimed the girl heroically!

"Bring it on blondy!" snapped the creature, while it idily wondered why everyone in this crazy town seemed to be a hormonal pervert.

"Uh.. me too!" exclaimed Makoto as she had come at the same time as Sailor V.. she just hadn't had much to say till now, and didn't want to be left out.

The youma snarled angrily and sent a wave of water rushing towards the Amazonchan with the now thoroughly pissed pokegirl just barely managed to dodge. "Quiet you!"

Artemis ran over near where Scott was, looked at him curiously for a moment, and settled in to watch the fight.

Sailor V wasted no more time in powering up for an attack, and sent off a quick crescent beam attack that hit the blue skinned monstrosity dead center, knocking it back a few feet and staggering it.

Sadly, though it did precious little else but annoy it heavily. "Oh you little bitch!" snapped the creature as she raised her hand and sent out an energy draining pulse that sucked more life out of the unconscious people and even seemed to draw a bit of the fire out of Makoto's spirit.

"Ugh.. what..feel so weak.." said the Amazonchan as she started to wobble.

Scott seeing this, ran over to at least distract the dark kingdom reject, only to get casually swatted away like a gnat once more. "Stay down you.."

He did accomplish his mission though, in that the momentary distraction allowed Venus to fire off another powerful beam of high-yield plasma at the creature. Though if you asked her it was 'the power of love' or some such.

Having taken a little damage this time, the creature became enraged and said, "Enough of this..!" before a sinister sickly black and green aura erupted around her, and she raised one hand to the heavens palm up, pressing the other hand palm down towards the ground.

With an inarticulate scream of rage, The creature brought them crushing togther a moment later, somehow causing pillars of freezing cold water to erupt all around her. Sailor V's eyes widened comically as these pillars bent forward at the youma's command and rocketed towards her with several dozen times the pressure of a high powered firehose.

The blond superheroine tried to dodge, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid this equivalent to a high-level blastits watercannon strike, and found herself hurtling backwards to slam forcefully into a light pole.

A sharp crack was heard as the pole broke in half, and Sailor V fell limply to the ground in front of it.

"Had enough blondy?!" cackled the monstrosity. Her water pillars disappearing. The unconscious people all around moaned softly as more of their energy leaked out to replenish what the evil bitch had spent with that attack.

Makoto screamed in utter outrage, throwing off the draining effect and raced at the monster. Her enhanced speed and strength proved far more effective than Scott's and soon the two were in full on slugfest.

The pissed pokegirl actually managed to land several solid combinations and used her strongest current attack, 'upper cut'. Her body flashing brightly for a second as she rocketed her fist upwards into the blue skinned creatures jaw.

The youma was knocked flat on its ass from the force of the attack, but sadly it showed little if any damage and immediately sent out a wave of energy draining force.

Makoto gasped in pain and fell to one knee, as she tried desperately to fight off the effects.

Scott, knew he had to do something but had no clue what. His physical strength was too weak. His sword did squat, and the best he could do was provide a distraction. '_Damn it! If only I could use magic..!'_ Thought the man in that insane moment.

Then it hit him. Sure, he had no idea if it did anything at all besides look really cool and suck the life out of him. Still.. he did know that at least once he had caused 'something' to happen.

With determination he began surging his mana. The seconds fled by as Makoto tried her damnedest to swat or attack the nimble monster, to no avail.

When his power reached his peak Scott thrust his hands out to try and mimic what he did a few days prior.

**"_Lay down your souls_**

**_to the gods' rock and roll"_**

**"BLACK METAL!"** he screamed as the familiar sensation of something indefinable inside him began to leech out. The creature, not expecting a magical attack from its flank, was thoroughly unprepared when a wedge shaped force of utter darkness slammed into it with brutal force.

The dark energy attack hurled it ruthlessly into a nearby wall a dozen feet away, no one could tell if it was damaged at all, but the attack had definitely had effect.

Scott dropped forward on his hands and knees panting heavily as he felt the strength leaving him. It was like his very life had been ripped out to use that attack.

The drain slowly faded and Scott leaned back squatting on his haunches. Man he felt beat.

To his horror the youma began to stir in it's mini-rubble pile and he knew he might have to try and use that whatever it was he just did again. The problem was that he was so drained that he didn't even know if he COULD use it.

Makoto managed to get back to her feet and ran over to try and pound on the creature. A few seconds of pummeling, a dynamic punch aimed down at its prone form, yeah she was wailing on the downed critter.

Sadly, her physical attacks, though exceptionally powerful, did little to the monster but annoy her into full wakefulness.

The youma kicked out with both feet and knocked the pokegirl away roughly before flipping back onto its feet.

Scott noticed that it seemed to favor its arm and side a bit, possibly showing that it had at least been affected by his attack. '_If only I could keep using it..'_

"Rrragh! Playtime is over!" snarled the monster, just before a shot rang out.

Two growltits and an Officerjenny stood at the end of the block, which wasn't too far away. "Hold it right there! What's going on here!"

The creature, seeing new targets immediately shrieked something about wanting their energy, and raced over to drain the hapless pokegirls.

Half way to them, a beam of high-yield plasma slammed into her back, courtesy of the now awake Sailor V.

"You, again!" snapped the creature as it righted itself after the nominally weaker blast than earlier. Apparently the drenched and extremely cold senshi of Venus wasn't doing as 'hot' as earlier.

"I said hold it!" snapped the police pokegirl. What was wrong with these people? Didn't they see the badge! Hello, pokegirl with a gun here.

Scott couldn't understand how this thing was still going. It had taken three crescent beams, an ass load of whoop ass, and his whatever it was he had done.. and barely seemed to notice! Was it like this in the cannon sailor moon universe? Geez no wonder normal people were screwed fighting these things.

"Shaddap you!" said a male voice from a nearby alleyway.

All eyes turned to see a man with a decidedly evil smirk on his face stroll out of the shadows, a pokegirl at his side.

It took Scott a moment, but then he registered. "YOU! You fucking asshole.."

"I'm sorry tin man, do I know you?" asked the man curiously, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"What's going on here!" snapped the police pokegirl as she grew more and more irritated. First all these kidnappings, then the creatures in the woods, and now some idiot tamers were having a pokegirl battle in her streets? Oh hell, no.

The new comer smirked at her and casually said, "Nothing much.. just world domination.. starting with this town."

Scott stared at him for a moment and then it dawned on him. Normally he'd of not said anything out loud, but his exhaustion and shock got the best of him, "You.. fucking work for the negaverse?!"

A mooncat and the blond with him stared in shock at the black armored man. Several other pairs of eyes fixated on him for a moment too.

"Oh.. so you've heard of it?" said the man casually.

The youma was beginning to get annoyed. She wanted energy, energy damn you!

"Hmm.. enough witty banter though.. my new 'pet' seems to want to continue her play.. go ahead precious.. that's a good girl." said the man in a cooing babyish sound.

The youma sweat dropped a moment, and sighed to herself. I just had to get sent to work with an idiot. OH well.. energy!

The negaverse reared monstrosity raised it's clawed hand and sent out a powerful wave of energy draining force.

The officerjenny opened fire on the creature, but the bullets were once again ineffective as they had not enough force to harm a youma. As she fell to her knees, she decided to take a pot-shot at the youma's supposed tamer, but to her horror the bullet simply pinged off of him as a dark aura surrounded the man.

He was now a creature of the negaverse, and as the supposed master of this particular youma, a bit of the energy she collected went to him.

Makoto, fell over in exhaustion, barely awake. The growltits dropped not long after, and the officerjenny moaned softly before it was all over.

Scott, Sailor Venus, and for some reason Artemis, were all that stood between current civilization and the newly forming douche empire.

"So.. now that the peanut gallery is out of the way.. Let's take care of you 'heroes' shall we.." said the man with an obnoxious sneer. His eyes flashing darkly.

"Take care of THIS!" snapped Sailor Venus, she'd been through way too much today to deal with ranting wannabe bishonen supervillains. "**Crescent Beam.. SMAAAASH!**" shouted the girl, before another beam of raw energy lanced out of her to nail the smirking and not terribly bishonen man dead center.

He may have been empowered by the life force of ten average people and pokegirls, but he was definitely not a youma. That attack slammed him brutally back and easily cracked several of his ribs.

Sailor Venus sighed tiredly, feeling drained. She'd been using her attacks too often, too close together and with that brutal assault she'd just woken up from, she was nearing exhaustion.

"Master!" snapped the witch as she raced to his side. Seeing him moaning in pain, caused her to go apeshit and start tossing out his pokeballs. Soon, An Amazonwu and an angel pokegirl were standing with her in the defense of her master.

They all had glassy eyes as though they were in a trance. Though the angel seemed a little less effected as she was looking around.

Scott backed away in concern. There was NO way they could win this fight. One team member down, two nearly exhausted, the strongest opponent barely injured, and now she had strong backup. '_Damn.. we're fucked..'_

He glanced up at the angel and his heart began to break, the girl he'd wanted to 'rescue' from this jackass for months was here and apparently brainwashed. "Serena.." he said with a lump in his throat.

-----

She had been called from her ball and immediately felt strange. The world seemed like it was full of mists and shadows. She could see but it was like what she figured the inside of a fishbowl would look.

She took in all the people on the ground, her master's new pokegirl that creeped her out, and the two people that seemed to be battling her.

What got her attention though was the black armored figure that suddenly whispered her old name. It sent a trill of emotion along her spine. Even with the minor voice modulation from the helmet, that voice had sounded so familiar. So.. safe.

Then it clicked. "Scott..?" she asked aloud.

Was this the man that had tried to save her all those months ago.. It couldn't be.. he was half a world away..

"Fools! give me your energy or die!" snarled the youma as she raced over to the only three creatures outside of her 'master's' group that seemed to dislike giving her energy.

The man in black armor clipped her on the side with his sword, doing little more than annoying her. The distraction brought them a moment though, for the blond girl to whip her chain out and trap one of the blue skinned girls' legs.

"Oh no you don't blondy!" snapped her master's alpha, before she sent a manabolt flying in the strange pokegirl's direction.

The blond superheroine was taken off guard by that, and took te hit in stride, crying out in pain but not dropping her weapon. The damage was done though as it gave the youma a moment to grip the chain, though the power inside it caused its flesh to smoke and crackle.

A brutal tug and one clothesline later, sent the princess of venus crashing into the pavement.

A spiderweb of cracks forming around her rude landing site.

She heard the armored man cry out a name, "Mina-chan!" that caused her heart to skip a beat.

_'This is wrong.. they.. they obviously care a lot about each other.. no.. this shouldn't happen!'_

A light began to softly shining from the necklace she wore, then a whimsical melody played. As she saw the monster rear back and kick the armored man powerfully in the chest as he came forward with his sword in an strong overhand attack. _'NO!' _her mind screamed to itself.

The poor man flew backwards several feet and lay limply on the ground. He seemed to struggle feebly a moment later, but not much.

The youma lept atop him and slammed her fist down on his face, cracking his visor. A few more ruthless attacks, amidst the laughter and catcalls of her master's witch pokegirl and the helmet was a messy ruin.

"Let's open this can up and see the worm!" cried the youma as she twisted, tugged and pulled at the helmet. Eventually she broke the clasps, and only just barely missed snapping his neck.

The helmet came off, and even amidst the bruises the angel pokegirl could clearly see who this was... Her heart raced. Her blood pounded in her ears. Time seemed to stand still as the youma reared back with a clawed hand and started to say something.

"SCOTT!!" screamed the angel pokegirl, as her necklace flared brilliantly with a blinding white light.

The youma pokegirl screeched in pain, as it flung itself away into a nearby shadow trying to avoid the horrible horrible light.

Scott hearing his name called so loudly snapped awake suddenly, despite his immense pain and rolled to his side. His answering cry erupted from his lips later, as one hand reached towards the girl, "SERENA!"

Artemis gasped in kitty fashion as he saw something that he had desperately hoped would happen. A miracle! On the forehead of this pokegirl with the funky necklace was a shining crescent moon symbol. He didn't recall any sailor senshi having that particular symbol in the past.. but apparently there was one. His memory wasn't what it used to be of course.

He raced over towards her and shouted, "Transform!"

The witch pokegirl blinked stupidly down at the little furball, as her master's least favorite pokegirl seemed to have a conversation with it.

"Trans.. wha..?" asked the girl in confusion, as she tried to comprehend what was going on.

"You're the sailor senshi of the moon! Transform! Your necklace is probably the key!" exclaimed the cat anxiously. Scott in the back ground had started to get to his hands and knees, while gazing in concern at her.

"R-right.. what?" she asked nervously. The energy surrounding her was starting to freak her out.

Artemis sighed and then it occurred to him. The lunar mind meld. It was their only hope. The symbol on his head emitted a soft light towards Serena, but it was cut short a moment later as a manabolt slammed into the poor feline.

"ARTEMIS!" screamed Scott as he rocked back onto his feet. A surge of adrenaline returning strength to his battered form. That kind of hit could have killed the little mooncat.

A soft, "Artemis.." came from behind him as Sailor Venus tried to get up. She was struggling weakly.

To his right another soft feminine voice could be heard, this one coming from the slowly waking form of Makoto. Without the energy draining effect of the youma her renegerative capacities were slowly kicking in.

"That little hairball shouldn't touch my master's toys!" snapped the Witch.

The angel pokegirl shed a tear slowly from each eye upon seeing the unconscious and badly burned cat. It had seemed to think she could help somehow... she needed to.. to transform like he said.

How, how though.. she needed power. Her necklace.. he said it was the key.

She lifted the strange locket and opened it. Inside rested the little crystal that had always been there. The soft melody playing.

As she gazed at the prismatic light she asked it. Pleaded with it to give her power. The power to help the only person that ever seemed to care about her.

What was she.. she was the senshi of the moon? What was that.. something.. about the moon.. and her little crystal, and power. Actually it was a prism really. A crystal prism.

Moon, prism. and power.. she couldn't figure out how to relate the three things together.

That is until she whispered them aloud questioningly, "Moon.. prism.. power...?"

She could feel a strange pulling sensation, almost as though something had tried to shift.. change.. transform.

Scott, staggered towards her, ignoring the witch and said, "Believe in yourself.. Sailor Moon!"

The witch seeing this interaction between the two snarled, and sent a manabolt racing across the street to easily knock the man on his ass. This time though, his armor, as battered as it was, prevented him from being severely injured. He was definitely hurting though.

"Scott!" she exclaimed. Then suddenly with new found determination she cried out, "**MOON..PRISM..POWER!**"

The brilliant white light flared out and in the confines of the alleyway, her body seemed to move and dance on its own. Her naked body became outlined in light as thought she radiated it from within. er twin braids flew out like a helicopter and a moment later clothing began to form around her.

First solidfying from band like ribbons as a one piece swim suit looking thing of pure white, then a set of boots in fire engine red, followed by white gloves. A red ribbon formed at her chest, along with two red circular markers appeared on the meatball shaped hair stylings on her head. Finally a tiara appears upon her forehead.

The light show dies down after this and she blinks. '_whoa.. no way..!'_

Strangely her wings have disappeared, but as she could summon and dismiss them at will before she wasn't particular freaked by that.

She raced over to Scott to check on him, as he lay prone on the ground. The two girls who were with him staggered over to her and nodded.

Makoto tiredly nodded and said, "We need to get him and Artemis out of here.."

"Yeah.. but I don't think they want us to leave,.." said Venus nervously.

"No one's going anywhere!" snapped the youma, after having finally gotten over the shakes. Though she'd refer to it later as a tactical withdrawal.

"What's going on over here!" shouted a male voice in outrage.

From around the corner came a dozen male officers, an equal number of officerjennies and a small hoarde of canine type pokegirls all outfitted in riot gear.

The witch pokegirl's eyes bugged out for a moment, but was even more shocked when then youma lept towards them and immediately began draining their energy. "Are you nuts you crazy evil bitch?!" snapped the ugly chick to the youma.

"Shut your mouth! I want energy!" exclaimed the creature, as the male members of the police force dropped like flies, and the other pokegirls began to weaken.

Several flamethrower attacks and a full on barrage of handgun fire erupted towards the youma, that knocked her back screaming for a second.

She got back up though, badly injured and screamed, before unleashing her water pillar attack at them. The recent upsurge in energy powering her up enough to unleash her strongest attack again.

Most of the unit was knocked out instantly and a few might have been killed outright. The creature immediately began siphoning energy again.

"This.. ends.. NOW!" Exclaimed Sailor Venus as she began preparing another Crescent Beam attack.

A wave of water rushed out from the youma, though, that knocked her on her ass. Much ass knocking has occured today apparently.

"Hey, what are you standing there for! Get in there and help my precious!" snapped Henry, the douche bag tamer.

His pokegirls immediately lept forward to press the attack.

-----

"_Darshe..!"_ exclaimed the armored figure mentally as it raced down the road on the back of its ponytaur. The pokegirl was running full tilt along the road in the direction its master dictated.

"IT has to be you!" exclaimed the voice, a decidedly feminine voice.

The energy spike had occured not too long ago, and the armored figure knew that type of energy well. No one else on this perverted world knew that kind of magic except her. It HAD to be Darshe.. He'd obviously found a way to come get her...

The energy spike's location was less than a mile away now. She could feel the energy of a magical battle not too far away.

----

The battle hasn't gone well for our heroes during that brief few seconds we cut away. Venus was knocked out, Sailor moon was on the ropes and Artemis was still a crispy kitty. Though he at least seemed to be stirring a little.

Scott took another exhausted swing at the Amazonwu, that she easily avoided before slamming her own sword down, gouging another deep trench in his armor.

The force of the swing knocked him to his knees, but luckily the sword got stuck in the material of his shoulderguards and it pulled the much stronger pokegirl off balance.

He took the chance and slammed his gauntleted fist forward smashing ruthlessly into her kneecap at an odd angle. Far superior strength and durability doesn't save a kneecap from hard trauma with a heavy blunt object. Sure the bones involved didn't come close to breaking, but the tendons inside as well as cartilage seperated nicely and dropped the girl into a screaming heap of pain.

Scott tried to press his advantage but that damned Witch sent a manabolt screaming across the road that tagged him hard in the back, singeing his heat treated cerametal armor and causing it to melt slightly.

The momentary distraction was enough for the enraged Amazonwu to grab his arm and sling him sideways bodily before she tried to right herself and hobble on one leg. Her busted knee giving her much pain and trouble.

She refused to lose to a mere human MALE though, and pressed on.

Makoto dodged another wave of water from the youma and used her spinning motion to propel herself around and land a dynamic punch to the creature's side, knocking it away a little.

Sailor moon for her part had tripped over one of the unconscious people and accidentally avoided being tagged by one of the Witch's manabolts. This of course thoroughly pissed off the magic abuser pokegirl as she saw it as a clever dodge.

Scott rolled to the side as swiftly as he could as a razor sharp sword hurtled down and luckily lodged itself in the pavement next to him. Unluckily for him it had sheared through his armor and laid open a deep gash in his left arm.

Bleeding, and batter Scott spun his bulk around as fast as he could attempting to knock the kneeling girl over. Sadly, though the attack was strong considering his waning strength, it was far too weak to annoy an amazon sub-type pokegirl, much less knock her over.

"What was that? You trying to tickle me human?" snapped the girl in irritation as she yanked on her sword.

Scott seeing her once again underestimate him, bunched up and kicked again. This time aiming for her uninjured knee.

The attack would have ended things nicely if not for the fact that she caught his foot in one hand and squeezed brutally. The armor began to crack around his foot and the pressure kept building in her vice like grip.

He had no choice as the pain increased. Though with all his wounds and battered form, it could kill him, he had to use his whatever it was again.

**"_Lay down your souls_**

**_to the gods rock and roll!"_**

"Wha..?" asked the pokegirl as she finally free'd her sword. What's he babbling about?

"**BLACK METAL**!" screamed the man, a much weaker wave of dark energy lashing out point blank into the hapless pokegirl.

Now your typical amazonwu was very strong, fast and agile. In fact, they tended to be at LEAST three times stronger, faster, and more durable than the normal human being. What she wasn't though, was especially resistant to magical attacks cast at point blank range, by a desperate sort-of wizard with his foot getting crushed.

The black energy was weaker than the last time it was used but more than enough to hurl the girl across the road to land face first against a brick wall with a sick _CRACK_

Whether it was the wall or the girl's neck who knew. He was just glad the girl had underestimated him enough not to use any of her attacks. Had she used pretty much anything his chances of winning this fight were non-existent.

As it was he figured she'd get up in a few minutes just like that damned Youma had. Sadly though, he wouldn't be able to press the assault as suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out. The black metal spell having claimed its due.

--

"Another energy spike!" exclaimed the racing knight. The town gates were rapidly approaching and the energy seemed to come from just off to the side. Entering the small town the ponytaur and her owner immediately were confronted with the sight of at least eighty people crumbled on the ground with a strange pokegirl fighting two other girls.

Nearby by, with wisps of dark energy trailing off him lay a prone man in black armor. Across from him slump against a wall with a gigantic blast zone like crack in it rested the limp form of anothr pokegirl.

"That man.. the energy spike..?" the knight asked to itself. The knight had never known Darshe to wear armor like that, but who knew what he'd been up to in this world. It's obvious ne never stayed out of trouble, '_Of course he's also surrounded by women..as usual.. that.. that.. bastard!!'_

As the knight rode up to check the man, the blue skinned creature spoke "Hah, you really thought you little cunts could beat me?! I'll suck you dry and then i'll kill that armored idiot you call a master!"

While the man didn't look like Darshe.. it couldn't be certain. So, the knight decided to intervene, by pulling out a sword hilt that suddenly cracked to life with electrical energy and racing forward to attack the blue skinned youma.

"Who the hell are you?!" it snapped at her. A feeling that both Makoto and Usagi could agree with. Though this swordsman seemed to be attacking the youma so at least that was something.

"Your opponent!" snapped the female voice as the blade made of lightning swung down to slice deeply into the creature's side.

With an inarticulate scream of rage it desperately shot out and crushing wave of water that flung the knight backwards off of her steed.

The ponytaur reared back and struck out with her hooves to smash into the creature before running over to attend her owner.

Sailor moon seeing an opening and suddenly remembering one of her attacks, took off her Tiara and called out, "Moon..Tiara..Magic.." while spinning to the side and turning her tiara into a spinning disc of light somehow.

The newly charged weapon hurtled towards the injured youma and the creaturely narrowly avoided it cutting its head completely off. In the end it had managed to dodge just enough that it was now missing about two feet of hair on one side, and part of a pointed ear.

Screaming in outrage the creature began drawing life energy out of the crowd again, some of the people going critically and horrifyingly silent at this. Wounds began to close on the creature, even as pillars of water shot up around her.

The witch pokegirl seeing all this, decided to try and take out the newest threat to her master's harem and cast a manabolt at the suddenly upright knight.

The bolt knocked the armored figure sideways a bit, but otherwise caused no harm.. "You dare?!" snaped the feminine voice..

The witch suddenly realizing that it had made a rather great tactical blunder began to back away. "A magic missile?! You call that an attack.. pathetic! Let me show you how a real one's supposed to be done!"

As the pillars of water began to shoot up around the youma, the knight focused on the witch. Electrical based mana surged brightly before they spoke..

**"BULLETS OF LIGHT**

**strike my**

**enemies"**

The witch tried to turn and run as suddenly dozens of balls made of pure electrical fury began to appear in front of the armored warrior.

She tried to run as fast as she could, but she wasn't nearly fast enough. A cry of "**IRON LIGHTNING ANTHEM**!" erupted behind her a split second before dozens of darts made of pure lighting flashed out and nailed her ugly ass.

The power of this strike was such that it lifted her off her feet even as these tiny missiles continually pounded into her. When they stopped seconds later the silly bitch was dragged by gravity harshly to the earth, her back still smoking where tiny burns and holes had appeared on her.

Of course the new arrival didn't get the chance to gloat as she, and the two girls nominally on her side were suddenly sent flying by a crushing wave of water that would have made any blastits in the area weep with envy.

When the wave ended no one moved, no one spoke. The youma still horribly injured despite the influx of life energy stood triumphant. Her 'master' then struggled to his feet. A cackling laughter erupting from his lips.

"Weeheheheeheh! The world will be mine!" he crowed, in his complete dementia.

The youma pokegirl for her part was even a little disturbed by this. '_This guy was a serious nutcase..'_

None of them had seen the pair of feline eyes from a nearby alleyway that had witnessed this scenario. The girls in the skirts had seemed so familiar. Could they be the ones she had searched for?

The black kitty, who for some reason seemed to look blue in the light wandered out towards the nearest girl. The one with the ponytail.

_'She seems.. familiar..' _thought the little black cat with the crescent moon on her forehead.

When the girl began to come around a moment later, amidst the cackling cries and idiotic dancing of the man in the background, her eyes locked on the eyes of the cat.

The two shared a timeless moment and then the girl and the cat seemed to understand something at the same time. Death, carnage, and destruction lay all around them. Everyone and everything the girl knew to care about was in ruins. Evil creatures were about to continue a mad murderous rampage, and the only one left that could do anything was her and one small cat.

A softly glowing symbol appeared on her forehead in a shape reminiscent of the number four. The symbol of Jupiter.

Somehow the little cat suddenly had a small rod in her mouth and dropped it into the girl's hand. Where the cat had hidden that who knows, though in later days many would think it had been her ass. Those days weren't here yet though.

The girl did a moment of soul searching much like the other two had, and then knew. The words coming to her as she sorted out a flash of memory which involved an ancient kingdom, and destruction of everything she knew and loved. '_no.. not again!"_

_"_**JUPITERRR... POOWEEEER!!**" screamed the adorable juggernaut of justice and fine cookery.

A familiar light show began as her tattered clothes disappeared and were replace in a technicolor light show, complete with random electrical currents flowing about. In the end she wore a uniform similar to her companions, but highlighted in greens instead of oranges or reds.

Feeling her energy sky rocket to levels she'd never known before, the princess of jupiter rocketed across the battlefield towards the injured youma, completely taking her offguard.

A hard brutal punch to the side, followed up with several dozen strikes to her surprised form all taking place faster than the youma could see. Apparently the enhancement properties of the Senshi form were such that they magnified innate physical capacity via planetary mana. In short, the girl with five times the strength of a normal human male, suddenly found that increased by a factor of four.

The youma tried in vain with all its random injuries to strike back, but the senshi of Jupiter was bursting at the seems with raw power, and an ass load of 'wanna hurt you bad.'

The physical attacks at this level of strength actually managed to hurt the creature a little, but still wouldn't be enough to finish her off. No, she needed something else.

A moment later after the creature had gotten in a lucky punch that rocked her a little she saw the sword that knight had been wielding. The electrical current sparking mutely at the end of the cut off blade awakened a memory.

She focused on her innate power, drawing strength from her senshi form's planet of origin.

Electrical current arced wildly around her as she exclaimed **"JUPITER..THUNDER...CRUUUSH!**" unleashing a powerful torrent of raw primal electrical current towards the water based creature.

It was knocked back brutally into a nearby dumpster leaving a small dent. The creature dazed and confused began to get up again however, but the pony-tailed heroine was having 'none' of that non-sense and readily unleashed another torrent of lightning at the creature.

The metal of the dumpster causing the electrical current to pass through the creature in such a way that she acted as a better conductor than she was before.

Laying prone, singed, and body smoking the creature didn't get up again. Strangly enough though, it didn't turn to dust.

The insane man gaped stupidly at his 'precious' and then back at the pony-tailed girl. He quickly whipped out a pokeball and threw it at her, hoping that for some insane reason he could catch her.

Two things happened. One, Sailor Jupiter caught the ball. Two, she crushed it in her hand easily. A third thing not yet mentioned was that she suddenly found herself entirely ready to kill the would be ruler of the world.

As she began to power up her attack though, a softly moaned, "Ma..koto.." came from her side.

Just to the right of her lay her master in his near exhausted heap. He'd expended some of his last precious energy to get her attention.

The man seeing this took his chance and ran off, albeit slowly and with much pain. His ribs had reknit enough from earlier for him to ignore the pain, but he definitely was still feeling the damage.

She was torn between chasing down the bastard that had started all this, and her beloved master.

A soft gurgly cough made her choice for her as she knelt down to attend him.

------

Whelp, there we finally have chapter 13. I suppose this will satisfy you as a longer read? hehe.

ERI is an acronym for 'etheric resonance image'. Like an MRI only it shows ether pathways.

Anyway, feel free to hate me, as the plot thickens.

---

Amazonwu, the weapon-using pokegirl.

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Fighting

Frequency: Uncommon

Diet: human style foods, heavy on rice

Role: warriors, bodyguards

Libido: Average

Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel

Weak Vs: Flying, Psychic

Attacks: Weapon Use, Distance Attack, Chi Blast, Parry, Deflect, Bonk, Mirror of Equity

Enhancements: Enhanced Strength (x3), Enhanced Agility (x3), Enhanced Speed (x3), Endurance

Evolves: Herowu (normal), Gunnm (nanotech alteration), Kishi (Dragon Scale Training)

Evolves From: TyAmazon (battle stress; special)

A cousin of the Amazonlee, Amazonchan, and Amazonkapoeraa. While the lee specializes in kicks and footwork, the chan specializes in punches and strength, and the kapoeraa specializes in tumbles and acrobatics, the wu specializes in the use of a single weapon. Most often this is a sword, although some Amazonwus are beginning to choose more esoteric weapons to try and distinguish themselves from other sword-fighting Pokégirls. Like the chan, lee, and kapoeraa, Amazonwus also have an odd dietary problem. In the case of the wu (not to be confused with the Wu) this is a fondness for coffee. When a wu gets coffee it tends to mellow them out instead of giving a caffeine buzz, the more coffee the more mellow until a torpor is achieved.

The Amazonwu has a bit of a problem with other weapon-wielding Pokégirls, especially other fighting types. Especially Armsmistresses and Samurai. The problem is simple, according to most researchers- the Amazonwu wants to be able to obliterate them with their own skills. However, to date, no Amazonwu has ever managed to defeat either an Armsmistress or a Samurai, in any league and under any circumstance, despite the effectiveness of her attacks. The Amazonwu is never without a weapon- she usually carries several with her, and even in bed is never without some sort of blade or projectile.

How the Tyamazon evolves into a Amazonwu is simple: she simply trains with weapons, rather than on her speed, with her agility, or with her strength (which are the trademarks of the Amazonlee, Amazonkapoeraa, and the Amazonchan, respectively). However, she must be put to an extreme test during battle, at which time she will evolve into an Amazonwu. Although considered to be a 'Jill of all trades', and therefore never specializing in anything in particular, that is perhaps her greatest strength until her evolution into a Herowu.

Tamers also enjoy working with Amazonwu, as they can actually train with her at times depending on the weapon and type of training she decides on with it.


	14. Knight in a Day

"So you're saying that without this particular root you won't be able to complete the ritual that can change me into a drow?" asked Ru to the Drow Archmage.

The dark-skinned female tilted her head. "I did just say that, yes..? At any rate, it's a fairly rare plant back on our homeworld. I've yet to see a single sample of it here on this one."

The nominally and possibly only good, or at least neutral, aligned drider in existence sighed wearily. "So.. I may be cursed to stay in this form for years uncountable.."

Alanera nodded. "This is true. However, there are a few other options, none of which you may enjoy."

"Oh..?" he asked with a hopefully and curious tone.

"Yes.. there's prayer and hope that the dark maiden will hear you.." said the drowess, drawing a momentary eyebrow quirk from the half spider creature.

"Hmm.. no? Well.. there's always the reincarnation spell.. though we'd have to kill you first..?" she suggested, with a hint of sarcasm.

Ru just stared at her.

"Fine...we could just go ahead with the ritual, and hope that you turn into an elf of a racial type that will be to your liking. Without the root, there's no way to guarantee you'll regain your Drow-hood." she said finally.

He nodded, "How about being male..?"

"That's taken care of easily enough with a change sex curse. Though, if you need that cast upon you, we want you to keep it quiet. The last thing we need is for the league to find out that several of us can turn a male to a female, and the reverse." said Alanera.

"You have my word to silence."

-----

Chapter 14: Knight in a day

----

Scott sighed lightly as he looked at the online price guide for the T2's he was interested in. After he'd been revived this morning he'd checked on his girls, found that they were largely alright if a bit shooken up by the near fatal battle. Then he'd set about doing what he could to find an edge.

His team needed one. They couldn't rely on the senshi transformations to bring thing victory as even Sailor Moon's attack had proven largely ineffective by itself. That youma had nearly killed them.

Hell, it 'had' killed eleven people via energy drain. Something normally not possible. Sadly, the constant drain effect had weakened them to the points that various organs had massive failure and ceased to function.

Henry the douche bag tamer, was now wanted on multiple counts of murder in the first degree, along with destruction of public property, and subversion of league governance. In short, if he ever was found he'd be lucky to survive long enough to make it to trial.

The league had posted a hundred thousand credit bounty on him dead or alive.

Scott knew the truth though. Henry for all his jerk relatedness was just as much a victim in all likelihood as the poor bastards caught in that attack.

The youma he had used nearly escaped as well, once she came around. Apparently Jupiter's attack had only knocked it out for a considerable amount of time. Luckily though a league strike force had been sent in via emergency teleport just prior to her coming around, and the high level team had contained the creature. Currently, it was being studied as to its genetic makeup and creation.

None of this mattered all that much beyond curiousity to the man as he sifted through online stores and auction sites. His team needed training.

He was saddened to see the prices of the T2's he most wanted to find. The cheapest premium heart T2 on sale, for instance, was well over the quarter of a million credit mark. The next cheapest was twice that price. With his thirty thousand or so credits he was sorely lacking in funds to purchase much.

He refreshed the page that was showing them for sale and then muttered to himself. Both items both had 'sold' tags under them now. They'd been up for roughly ten minutes before some lucky bastard bought them.

Scott hadn't expected that particular skill to come cheap or easy anyway. It was almost as rare here as it was supposedly in the pokegirl world written about back home.

For now, he'd have to go to work with his girls, and train them between missions. This sadly also meant that he'd possibly end up having to give up the adventurers guild all together, and become a regular tamer.

The three limit rule he still operated under would not allow him the freedom to gain more team mates he needed. Sure, they could give him special 'dispensation' but that was only for individual missions or so he thought.

_'My girls..' _thought Scott, momentarily blanching that he considered them as his, _'Need to get some advanced training. Their regular skills are very good for their levels, but what we need is elemental attacks and a decent magic user.'_

"Hmm.. Serena, might be able to use magic since she's a magic and flying type. I know her.. other self has the strongest overall senshi ability too." said the man to himself. Of course whether the sweet, but so very flaky, girl can learn to cast spells is another question entirely.

Being a creature who needed magic as part of her life didn't necessarily mean she'd be good at learning to use it effectively.

The logistics problems and tactical issues came in when he tried to determine a way the girls could work as a team. Obviously they'd need to learn how to combine their powers when facing youma as strong as the last one.

Scott continued musing on how best to help the girls grow when a knock on the door startled him. He sighed lightly hoping that it wasn't yet another league investigator trying to get him to tell them something new.

Upon opening the door he found himself facing Analise. The irate look in her eyes told him that he might be in some sort of trouble. She was seriously giving off a kind of pissed off vibe.

"Uh.. hey P-chan..what's.." he began, but was cut short a moment later as she said, "Come to the training room. We need to discuss something."

Scott, didn't particularly like her commanding tone, but nevertheless he went along with the dimensionally displaced dark elf in human form.

They walked silently down the halls of the pokecenter until they entered training room three. Once inside she pressed the button that marked the room as, 'in use' and then turned to him.

"Um.." began Scott, but the irate professor raised on hand and shook her head.

She then pointed down the training area to a target dummy already set up. "If you would be so kind as to use the spell you never bothered to tell me about learning on that dummy down there so I can scan you, I would be ever so grateful."

Scott groaned lightly and finally knew a bit of what pissed her off so much. He hadn't kept her in the loop on his progress, an he'd promised to do so.

"Sure.. though it really takes it out of me.." he said.

The female professor nodded and then crossed her arms. "Well.. get on with it, everything's set up. You just need to go stand in the red square there so the system can scan you, then use that attack of yours."

The man feeling a strange creepy pissed off girlfriend kind of vibe from the woman nodded mutely and did as she asked. Best to go along with her right now as she owned the place he lived at between missions. Plus there was the whole, his word is his bond thing he likes to maintain.

Scott took up a relaxed position in the square, his hairy legs feeling a slight chill since all he was wearing was a wife beater style t-shirt, and a pair of boxer's.

Analise wandered over to a control panel on the side of the room and then pressed a few keys.

A moment later a light green column of light shined at him from the floor underneath, and a distinctly mechanical voice said, "Subject scan complete. Compiling data."

"Alright, let's see what we have here..." began the woman before her eyes widened almost comically. "Are you kidding me?! You've progressed this much and didn't tell me!"

The man blinked at her and shrugged, "I'm not sure what you're talking about.. I mean.. I was unconscious most of the last two months after all."

Professor Analise turned to look at him with a slightly less irritated glare. '_True.. it's not entirely his fault that he hasn't kept me updated... He's usually been very good about that sort of thing.'_

"Well, come see for yourself then." she said.

Scott walked over and looked at the screen.

-----

**Scott**

**Human:**** No pokegirl Dna found**

_**Journeyman Grade Soldier of the Adventurer's Guild**_

**Age:**28

**Level: 5**

**Experience:**N/A

**Experience to next level: **N/A

**Type**: N/A

**Element**: N/A

**Frequency**: Unique

**Diet**: human diet

**Role**: Swordsman, Front-line Fighter, Team Leader

**Libido**: N/A

**Strong Vs**: Normal, Psychic, Magic

**Weak Vs**: Ghost, Dark

**Abilities:** Swordsmanship Lv. 9 (Intermediate) Hand to Hand Lv. 4 (basic), Black Band Magic Lv. 7 (Intermediate) White Band Magic lv. 14 (intermediate) Elemental band Magic lv. 3 (basic) Regeneration lv 3 (basic)

**Attributes**

**Hp:**42

**Chi:**57

**Mp:**64

**Psi:**27

**Attack rating: **24

**Defense rating: **38

**Strength:**19

**Agility:**16

**Endurance:**18

**Speed:**16

**Intelligence:**19

**Wisdom:**17

**Will:**19

**Charisma:**18

**Current Attacks**: (Still registering)

**Enhancements**: N/A

**Evolves**: N/A

**Evolves From**: N/A

**Equipment:**Cotton T-shirt (Size large), Cotton blend briefs (Decoration entitled, Crescent Moon Surprise, via the tag.)

A human male. No pokegirl Dna detected. He stands Approximately 5' 11". He has light brown hair, light brown eyes, and two noticeable scars. Scar number one is a small circular indentation at his right temple. Scar number two, a series of small gouges roughly one inch in total length and a quarter inch in width, is located on his stomach's left side center.

---

Scott took a moment to stare at these figures and tried to make heads or tails of them. There was no way he had gotten that much stronger overall since his last scan at the institute.

"Wait.. wait.. this can't be right.. my attack and defense rating are that high? I'm nearly naked!" he exclaimed in shock. While the numbers in and of themselves were abyssmally low compared to even Minako's current statistics, they were much higher than they should have been.

Hell his NATURAL body defensive ability rated higher than his armor! This machine had to be buggy as hell. His skin did not stop sword strikes or hard blunt trauma nearly as well as his armor. In fact, they tended to render him into a battered heap.

"I'll run a diagnostic check but.. apparently it's true." stated the woman. She was a little concerned about his rating too. "Though I must point out, that your defense and attack rating include things like tendon strength, as well as attribute scores. So it's a reflection on total ability to avoid or absorb damage, unlike say a suit of armor."

Scott nodded. That did freak him out slightly less. For a moment though he'd day dreamed about what it would have been like to have nearly four times the defensive strength as his cerametal armor.

"My attack rating..?" he asked quietly.

The woman finished running the diagnostic check. All systems seemed nominal. "Is your raw damage potential based on your physical fighting skills. Right now it's a reflection of your hand to hand ability."

"But.. i'm nearly as attack capable as Minako was at level one.. Heck I'm bordering on three times her initial level of defense.." said the man slowly, as though speaking to someone who didn't understand the scan far better than him.

"Yes, that is what the system is saying. You're apparently the rough physical equivalent of a defensive fighting type pokegirl with no enhanced attributes, at around level one or two." stated the woman with a bit of awe. Sure, it was really saying all that much. Her own stats were far and away higher than this, but of course she'd been a sword swinging adventurer for many centuries before she took up the life of a researcher.

On her world of origin there were many humans, elves, dwarves that would easily outstrip these abilities. However, they'd been fighting all their lives. The young man before her had only been at it for around six or seven months. Though, he had been a soldier in his homeland for a short time. He had the equivalent of three or four years total of training experience due to those factors plus the accelerated training regime she'd put him through.

That still wouldn't account for this though. A blood gifted human, definitely could have this. Hell, they'd probably have had this BEFORE training. A pure blood human who wasn't trained from birth though was an astonishing sight to see with statistics like these.

"My only hypothesis on this would have to do with that minor bio-regenerative upgrade you have. It's causing you to progress much faster than the average pure blood human." stated the woman.

"Oh.. because it forces my body to heal faster, clear toxins and all that?" he asked, guessing at her meaning.

"Pretty much what I was thinking. In a way it's like you have a minor pseudo-blood gift. For all intents and purposes.

"Hmm.." said Scott, while he tried to comprehend all that he'd just taken in. It would definitely explain why he'd been surviving these fights he had gotten in.

"Any clue why I seem to be immune to energy draining attacks?" he asked.

"Well, since for some absurd reason you seem to have type advantages and disadvantages.. i'd say it has something to do with that." said the woman, as she tried to wrap her head around that tidbit of knowledge. The scanner didn't really base such things on genetics so much as skill-sets and random tidbits of cell memory.

Except in the case of elemental attributes in the body, it was usually more of a mental thing and skills acquired that determined why a pokegirl was weak or strong to certain types of pokegirls. All of that typing was based on the bare minimum capacities anyway.

She'd heard of plenty of times where a psychic type had managed to use a psychic attack on a dark type. Training won out over type advantage unless of course the one with the advantage had equivalent levels of training. Then it' more determination.

"Yeah, but it says i'm weak to Dark and Ghost types.. so how does that equal me not being energy drainable?" he asked in confusion. If anything he should be absurdly easy to drain, not the opposite.

"I honestly can't tell you." she said, while chewing her bottom lip in an adorable manner. It really didn't make much sense.

Scott sighed. More and more questions. While he wasn't apparently superhuman or anything, he did have a few little perks that came with his arrival in this dimension.

"Anyway.. can we get back to the reason why we're here.. the spell?" she asked lightly.

The man snapped out of his mild daydream like trance and nodded to her. "Yeah, i'll give it a try. I'd like to know more about it anyway."

He wandered back over to the box and glanced at her. A moment later she nodded her head.

Scott took a deep breath and raised his hands. His various energies began surging and focusing on the task at hand as he began the vocal portion of the spell.

"_**Lay down your souls**_

_**to the gods' rock and roll!"**_

_**"BLACK METAL!"**_ roared the man, as the dark energy formed and shot out of him with the force of a cannon. The wedge shaped energy raced across the training room to impact heavily into the target.

Scott staggered a little as he felt his strength leaving him, but somehow managed not to fall to his knees this time.

Analise widened her eyes once again comically at the data that came up on the screen. "How..?!"

Scott wobbled over to her to see what she was looking at and joined her in the comical eye widening.

"Attack power 145?" he asked her curiously. He had expected it to have at least a moderately high to high rating. He of course was right.

What had caused his eye widening was the information gathered beyond that fact. The spell seemed to have a separate effect besides raw damaging force. There was a moderate strength 'demi' style effect of gravitational force that could knock half the hit points out of a target.

The training dummy was designed to take the rough equivalent of a thousand hit points. Scott's little wedge of black energy had knocked around six hundred of those out. The demi effect having worked to cut those hit points in half before the destructive force of the attack hit fully.

"No wonder, you feel so tired afterwards. That spell utilizes more than just your magical energy." Said P-chan a moment later.

The man looked down and nodded. "It took a fourth of my chi, ten percent of my hit points, five percent of my psychic energy, and fifteen points of my magical energy? What the fuck..?"

"Geez, i'm killing myself everytime I use it." said the man uncomfortably.

"Only a little.. but this also would account for the sharp incline in your statistics. Taking all this out of you, while your regenerative capacity is working over time to try and restore the lost portions. Yes, yes. It makes sense." said the woman, as she finally put a piece to the puzzle.

"Hmm.. I feel weak and tired, but I didn't drop to my knees this time.. so..does that mean anything?" he asked.

"Well, apparently for a while as you use this spell it'll probably rapidly advance your capacities, but if the lessening weakness is any indication, then eventually you'll hit a plateau and the advancements will slow down greatly." said the professor, while she hit the save key. She'd want to have a hard copy of this as well as the download on her computer system back home.

Scott hmm'ed at this. While he didn't really like the idea of using black band mana as his energy source, the effects couldn't be denied. Right now, he had the most powerful attack of any member of his team outside their senshi forms. Of course, a few more levels of training and they'll easily outstrip him even without the transformations. Plus there was the whole part about where at absolute most he could use it four times before being so drained that he'd be hovering on the brink of life and death. At least that's what it had been.

Soon it might be, four times and then he can't use it again until he rests for a day or two. The only percent drains he saw was the hit point and psychic energy ones. The chi and mana drains will be less problematic with time and training.

For a time though, he'd remain viable in their fights, even if he was still the small squishy one.

A knock on the training room door caught their attention and professor Analise glanced at the window that popped up, showing the security camera footage of the door's assailant. "The guild leader of Oldtowne's Adventurer's guild?" she asked, easily recognizing the man from the random meetings she had to go to.

"Oh Aaron's here?" Scott asked curiously.

Analise blinked at him a moment wondering just when her charge had become acquainted with the guild leader to the extent that they were on a first name basis.

Another knock come from the door, followed by a press on the door buzzer.

"Well, apparently he wants in.." she said before walking over and tapping the unlocking button for the door.

Aaron strode in wearing his customary traveling gear. Muted forest colors, and a sword at his hip.

"Sup, man." said Scott off-handedly, drawing a curious stare from Analise.

The much, much, older man chuckled heartily and then smiled. "Ah, thought I might still find you here Sir Scott."

Scott smirked a moment but then something about that statement caught his attention, "Excuse me.. did you say 'sir' Scott?"

"Why, yes I did. Though, it is a bit premature true. You're technically only a squire right now, until you've managed to pass the initiation trial. Still, I have no fear that you'll fail." informed the man, much to the confusion of the two people present.

"Wait.. are you saying the guild wants to knight Scott?" asked P-chan. A sharp one that one.

Scott scrunched his eyebrows together as he tried to understand what the hell they were talking about.

"Yes, that is it exactly. They feel that with the way his team has personally defeated two of these 'uber' Youma pokegirls and saved dozens of innocent lives that he no doubt merits the chance to attempt the trials."

"Um.." began Scott.

"Are you serious?!" snapped Analise. "He's a great fighter, and all, but he doesn't have the time in rank or the experience for that! He could be killed!" finished the woman, heavy concern in her voice.

"Well.. uh.. can someon.." began Scott again, but got cut off by Aaron.

"This is true, but considering that to date only three other guild teams have been a part of a battle with these new pokegirls, and none of those teams managed to survive intact, the guild felt he could manage it."

Scott raised his hand, hoping someone would notice and let him speak. Sadly, he continued to be ignored.

"Yes, that's true.. but.. he isn't a fully guilded aventurer yet! He has to pass his journeyman's test and become a full member." countered Analise.

Aaron smiled lightly at her and nodded, "True, but after he finishes the assignment he has here, he can undergo the testing, and once he passes with flying colors he can begin knight training."

Scott jumped up and down in the background waving his hands trying to get their attention.

"Well.. yes... but.." said the dimensionally dispossessed hottie. A nervous tremor in her voice.

The older man nodded again, "I understand.. it's really his decision though.. in the end.. no matter how some might feel about him.."

Neither man missed the mild coloring of her cheeks at that statement.

----

Minako hugged Artemis softly to her and stroked his fur. He'd nearly bought the big burrito or some such yesterday. Luckily he wasn't resistant to healing magic, anymore than the average pokegirl or human.

He was still missing patches of fur, but at least he was alive.

The girls had been in training room seven working on their various skills all morning while Scott tried to find them an 'edge'. Though Minako suspected he was looking at online pokegirl porn.

While they had trained for a few hours, it eventually dissolved into 'girl talk'.

Most of said talk revolved around filling Serena in about their master.

"No really? He always fights along side you?" she asked in shock.

"Well, us now, but yes. He isn't really as good as either of us, but compared to most of the tamers around he's the best!" exclaimed Makoto. She really liked having a tamer that was willing to spar with her, even if she had to pull her punches.

"I'll have you know he beat me by himself, the first day we met." said Minako.

"Whaaat?" exclaimed Serena.

"I was borderline feral at the time, but still, he did beat me. He hasn't won a sparring match but like once or twice since then, but he CAN win if he puts his mind into it." said the blond haired slicer.

"Wow! I guess they must make em tougher where he's from." said Serena happily.

The other girls blinked at her and said, "Wait.. you know he's...?"

"Not of this perverted earth? Ya.. I was there the day he showed up here.." she started happily, but ended quietly.

Luna and Artemis perked up at this and seemed interested. This Scott character wasn't a Senshi, or even a Knight of the moon kingdom, but he was still a part of things whether he should be or not.

"Sooo..?" asked Artemis curiously.

"Well.. i'd been kicked out of my house, or at least thought I had been.. I guess.. after I thresholded into an angel pokegirl..." the girl began.

Minako had heard Scott mumble a little of this in his sleep at times, but never could get him to answer questions about it.

"Well.. anyway I was in the woods alone for a few days, a week or two I can't remember. I was scared.. and well.. slowly going feral I guess." she continued.

"That's when that tamer.. you know the one that attacked the town here.. that's when he found me." said the girl, tears starting to form in her eyes.

The other girls gathered around and hugged the sensitive seeming angel pokegirl. Luna and Artemis looked at each other. Both of the now no longer extinct species of Lunar Felidae thinking the same thing. Douche bag tamer must die.

"He.. well.. you know what tamers do when they find a pokegirl in the wild.. I tried to get away, even talk my way out of it but.. he and that witch of his kept attacking me." she said sorrowfully.

The girls nodded. Yeah, it was a common occurrence. The sad part of which was that it had to happen. With the feralborn and feral pokegirls on the loose someone had to catch them and end their threat. They didn't need to be assholes about it though.

"Anyway, i'm not really sure what happened. I think I cried out for someone to help me... Next thing I know there's a bright flash of light and he was there.." said the girl with a hint of wonder in her voice.

"Scott..?" asked Minako Softly, thinking back to the vauge memories of their first encounter and how he'd given her hope again even after she'd beat the shit out of him.

"Y-yeah.." sniffed out the pokegirl. "He.. knocked the tamer out, but the witch caught him dead center in the chest with a fire enhanced manabolt.."

Makoto growled and slammed her fist into her hand. That ugly bitch was so lucky she was dead, or the pony-tailed powerhouse would have tracked her down and killed her for that.

"Somehow, I knocked the witch out with a psi-blade and then went to check on Scott.. he was hurt pretty bad, and well.. I ended up dumping a few potions and stuff on him trying to help him." said Serena.

"I remember hearing him and the professor talking about him an x-potions a lot. When I first got 'captured'." added Minako, wanting to be part of the story.

Luna merrowed up at her curiously. _"_What's an x-potion..?" She was rather new to this whole pokegirl thing after all.

"Just something to heal wounds." said the girl in response. "It's only supposed to work on pokegirls and people with a lot of pokegirl dna, though."

The cat was satisfied with this for the moment.

"Y-yeah.. anyway, after the potions and all took affect finally.. they sure took a while.. anyway, he came around.. and his eyes were hurting him badly. He'd been flash blinded or something. he said."

A low growl escaped Makoto hearing this. Everyone turning to glance at the Amazonchan caused the powerful teenaged pokegirl to flush prettily and shake her head. She so didn't wanna talk about it.

"Anyway, he asked me if I could check on the douche bag, or was it idiot? I can't remember. Eitherway since he was alive, he said we couldn't leave him out there... wish we had though.." said the girl, the last part in a muttered tone that caused a gasp from Minako. An angel pokegirl wishing they'd left someone for dead? He really must have been an asshole.

"Hey.. I had to deal with.. a lot of.. stuff.. from that creep." said the girl sadly. No one disbelieving after having witnessed some of his antics.

"Well.. after we finally got back to town.. they arrested Scott for 'interfering with the lawful capture of a pokegirl, and tried to pin attempted manslaughter on him." said the girl sadly, a hint of anger in her voice.

"No way..!" exclaimed Artemis. "What kind of nutty legal system arrests people for saving someone!"

Minako rubbed his fur and sighed, "The kind where pokegirls are property. It sucks, especially if you don't have a master who treats you right."

"Yeah.. heh.. we aren't 'people'.. we're possesions.. pets at best." muttered Makoto.

Serena nodded sadly.

"How can they do that?! It's inhuman!" exclaimed the black moon cat at her feet.

"Well you remember about that war all those years ago? Well, there's still millions of feralborn pokegirls in the wild that are worse than any wild animal. That's why..I guess." said Minako.

"I guess.. I can understand that but.. it's not like you girls are running around attacking random people on the street..!" exclaimed the little cat irately.

"Actually.. that's how me and Scott met.. I attacked him on the road. Like I said.. nearly feral at the time." countered the girl.

That drew some of the wind out of the prissy little cat's sails. She may have been rightly angry at such inhumane treatment, but if someone like Minako was going to run around attacking people.. there might be a point to those nutty laws after all.

"Let's talk about something else.. k?" asked Serena softly. She didn't like thinking about going feral, and stuff.

"Right.. hey.. did you see those shoes at the shop here? I went out with Scott this morning before he sent us off to train." said Minako excitedly.

"No WE didn't get to see any shoes miss Alpha." groused Makoto.

Minako grinned at her happily. "Boy did YOU miss out."

"Hey!" exclaimed the ponytailed pokegirl.

They glared at each other for a second and then dissolved in a fit of giggles, leaving the other three to stare at them in confusion. Must be an inside joke.

-----

Back in training room three Scott was about to leave and head over to room seven when the door opened again.

The three occupants of the room glanced at the new entrant and saw a familiar looking Amazonwu, following a determined looking nursejoy.

Scott recognized the pokegirl that had tried to kill him only yesterday.

"Sir.." began the Nursejoy. Her name tag read, Anne.

Seeing that she was addressing him Scott answered, "Yes...?"

Analise and Aaron watched the bi-play as the two began talking.

"Well.. the thing of it is.." began Annie, before the Amazonwu rolled her eyes and barged in front of her.

Scott slipped into a loose fighting stance expecting trouble, but was shocked when the sword wielding pokegirl knelt down in front of him with her eyes gazing at the floor. Though he did note that her sword was made of wood instead of steel now.

"Wha..?"

"Please take this humble Samurai as your vassel!" exclaimed the girl feverently.

"Um.." said Scott, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "Little help here..?" he asked Annie.

"Well.. see.. the thing is.. She attacked a human being.. normally she'd be executed for that.. but since it was proven that she was under magical duress and on top of that it was at the behest of her tamer.. well they do grant one chance for leniency.." said the Nursejoy pokegirl.

"Ok...?" he asked. What did this have to do with him?

"Please let this humble samurai girl be your apprentice master!" exclaimed the Amazonwu, before leaning forward and touching her forehead to the floor.

"..."

"Sir.. um.. basically if you don't take her on as a part of your harem.. she'll be.. uhm.. Euthanized.,, so to speak." finished the nursejoy timidly.

It took Scott a second to realize what she meant and then he snapped out, "WHAT?!"

Analise took a step back and the almost palpable rage that seemed to radiate off the man. She could swear she almost saw a battle aura for a moment.

Aaron for his part took it all in and nodded. '_An interesting dilemma the 'boy' finds himself in.'_

Scott seethed internally at this. Just one more reason to hate this fucking perverted mud ball. They were going to kill someone even though she'd had no control of her actions.

His anger faded to sadness that wrenched at his heart a moment later. He'd have to say no. He had his limit alloted to him by the league.. if he took her on.. he'd have to give away one of the others.

"I.. I can't.." said the man much to the surprise of the ones present.

"No.. PLEASE.. I'm sorry I attacked you..!" wailed the girl, thinking he found her unworthy.

"Scott.. you'd really.. let them do that.. to her?" asked Analise in shock.

He looked at her, tears forming at the edge of his eyes that slowly leaked down. "I'm only allowed three members on my team.."

The woman's eyes widen in growing horror. He had caught his limit.

"I'd be more than happy to take her on.. but i'm not allowed to..I mean.. " began Scott as he had a moral dilemma on his hands.

The nursejoy nodded sadly as she was about to ball the girl.

Before she did though Scott spoke up with conviction. "Fuck it. Screw the guild, i'll just go take my tamer's exam."

Once again he was gazed at in shock. This time by Aaron.

"You'd really.. give up a chance at league sanctioned knighthood.. for a pokegirl that tried to kill you?"

Scott glanced at him and nodded, "She is innocent of the crime they claim. I don't care what a bunch of idiots with shiny badges say. I will NOT allow someone to die needlessly when I can do something about it."

Aaron nodded, "You willing put the lives of others above your own.. this we know.. You have a good sense of tactics and have won seemingly impossible battles against dire threats to life and league.. this we know."

Scott stared at him for a moment, as the others tilt their heads towards the elder gentleman.

"You treat all those around you with respect, regardless of their place, purpose, gender, genetic disposition and station in life. This, we know." said the man, as though explaining some great truth.

The man took a deep breath and then smiled. "You choose live, integrity, honor, and the service to the needs of others over your own aggrandizement. This we know now."

Analise gaped wide eyed at the man. Was this really happening?

"Kneel, young man." said Aaron with finality, as he drew his sword.

Scott, normally would have balked at this, but something about this situation made him follow the command. He knelt down before the older man.

"I find you worthy, in the eyes of the church of a thousand gods, the league, and in my own." he said in a ritual manner, before gazing around at the others. "Does any find fault with this?"

No one spoke up, though they wondered what was going on.

"Very well then. With the power vested in me, by the gods, and by the league." he said, before placing the blade of the sword on one shoulder of the kneeling man, and then the other. "I hereby dub you Sir Scott, let no man speak against it."

"Rise, Sir Knight, and claim your duty."

Scott, stood up and said.. "Um.. so I'm like a knight now or something."

Aaron smirked and nodded, "Good enough young Knight."

"Ok... but that's.. really cool I guess.. thanks? Um.. but what about the girl here..."

The older man quirked an eyebrow. "Tell me Sir Scott.. you are currently on a mission here in this town are you now?"

Scott nodded. "Yes, I'm supposed to investigate the creatures in the woods.."

"Tell, me.. how many pokegirls did you have alloted as the maximum you were allowed for this mission?"

"Well.. three? I guess.. no one mentioned.." began Scott.

Analise smiled happily at what she was hearing. That old coot of a knight had just solved things nicely.

"Would you say, that it would have been a great asset to the accomplishment of this mission, had you.. four pokegirls with you instead of the typical three?" he asked with a smug look on his face.

"Certainly, woulda helped out yesterday..?" Scott answered with a hint of a question in his voice.

Aaron seemed to ponder for a moment, though it was obvious he was merely heightening the supposed drama. "Then, as the Head knight, and guild leader of the Oldtowne adventurer's guild I hereby grant my subordinate special dispensation to utilize as many assets as he needs in his current endeavor."

"Um.. huh?" asked Scott. What was the old fart on about.

"Yes, quite.. basically I just granted you the authority to have more than three pokegirls in your harem, and to use as many of those as you feel you need in a manner befitting the requirements of this mission." informed the man.

Scott nodded and then said.."So that means what?"

Aaron seriously considered doing something as undignified as face vaulting, but decided against it. "You can have as many pokegirls as you want, you have the right to apply for a knight's weapon license, and you've been granted the right to keep up to six pokegirls in your personal group at any given time, without further dispensation."

"OH, right..um.. thanks?" he said, while trying to take all that in. Just because he had an IQ rating that bordered on two hundred now, didn't mean he could figure out babble talk.

The old man smiled at the younger man's antics.

"So wait, basically without any kind of written exam or 'trial' you just gave me all the normal rights and limitations of a tamer?" asked Scott seriously.

"In a manner yes.. but in some ways no. For one, a knight is a different organizational grouping than the tamer's. In a way it's like the answer to the ranger's, hunter's and various similar organizations in other leagues. So you have greater overall responsibility now, but you have the perks that come with it too." explained the man.

The red-headed Amazonwu spoke up then, "Soo.. does this mean I get to be your apprentice?"

Scott glanced at her and said, "Yeah.. I guess... you do realize you aren't a Samurai pokegirl right..?"

The red head frowned cutely at him and then said, "Genetics does not a Samurai make!"

"Right.."

----

Whelp there's chapter fourteen. IF the ending sounds a bit Marty and or Gary-Stuish, or even just plain stupid, then I do apologize. Basically all that did was end up putting him on equal footing with the typical tamer. Able to have six girls with him, plus a storage license.

He'll be able to get better gear for him and his girls at the various guild offices, and he has to handle random tasks a knight would handle. Like helping local police, tamer all calls, and such.

Plus it sets him up for later, as it'll allow all the senshi to be able to work together.. that is if his guild leader will grant him dispensation.

Oh yeah, and he gets paid more. hehe.

Hooray for contrived plots and formulaic storylines!


	15. Creatures of the Woods

Henry wheezed and coughed trying to catch his breath. He felt like he'd been running for days non-stop. He knew he had to keep moving or that blond freak would catch him.

As he staggered around the trunk of a large oak tree he saw the one sight he'd hoped he wouldn't "Y-you.. stay away from me!" he exclaimed in a girly high pitched fashion.

The blond man walked out of the shadows of the forest his glare so menacing that his eyes seemed bore into the man. "You.. failed.."

Henry backed up his hands coming up in front of him. "No..! I..:"

"YOU FAILED!" snapped the Dark Kingdom general. A wave of psychic energy raced out of him as he stretched his hand forward.

The hapless human tool of the negaverse found himself flung backwards bodily into the very oak tree he had just come around.

The crushing force of the negatively empowered man continued unabated for a full minute as henry felt his eyes begin to bleed, his rib cage pressing inward. He was slowly strangling due to being unable to breathe.

Worse yet, the almost casual way the blond man had done this was evidence that he wasn't using anywhere close to his full power.

He tried to mouth something to the dark general. Something, anything, to save himself.

"What.. was that..? I can't hear you?" said the general a menacing sneer on his face. An evil glint came to his eyes, as he relented slightly on the energy radiating from him.

"I-I said.. i'll.. do.anything..p-please.." rasped the man, a hint of blood coming to his lips.

Jedite's face went cold for a moment, then a calculating look came to his eyes. '_Anything you say..hmm..'_

_-------_

Chapter 15: Creatures of the woods

------

Pirotessa's black knight sent Ryoko his newest pokegirl ahead to scout the terrain. He wanted the girl to feel useful after all.

His other girls were spread out in a wide wedge formation. He had Makoto up front on point, and Minako was across from him on the left. There was a good five meter interval between each of them. Not as much as he'd like, but in forest terrain it was best to stick a little closer as to keep everyone in sight.

Serena was up above the tree-line acting as eyes in the sky for him. Not that she could see too much in the dense forest, but at least she could watch for feral flying pokegirls.

From recent scoutings of the forest they had tracked down the creatures the townspeople had seen. They'd taken down about six of them yesterday, and followed them back to their encampment.

It was a warband of green and grey-skinned creatures Scott wanted to call goblins. Nothing major if it were so. The six they'd defeated were pitifully easy to deal with.

The problem lied in that he didn't know how many more were hiding in the woods and cave nearby.

For all he knew there were several more encampments too. Though he didn't believe that to be likely. A truly large force of such creatures if they were hostile, and several dead new tamers with only one pokegirl to protect them attested to the hostility, would have attacked the town by now.

Ryoko came back a few minutes later and crouched down waiting for the group to catch up to her position. When they arrived she gave a report.

In low quiet tones, not a whisper but the far better soft spoken words, she informed the group, "I've seen about fifteen of them up ahead. A few tents made out of hides.. i'm not even going to think about what kind since there aren't supposed to be too many game animals in this part of the league."

Scott blanched inside his armor and sighed. The noise came out mechanically to the group, causing the girls to turn their heads to him. "Let's go. We'll circle the camp once at a distance, then move in from separate directions to coral them in the center. Hopefully we'll take down a few of their scouts if they bothered to have any, so that they can't warn the main body back at the cave."

Serena watched the group move forward and start to go to the left. '_A change in direction..?'_ she thought to herself, but remembered what her master had told her. If he didn't signal for her she was supposed to keep going north.

The girl carefully continued on but stopped short a few moments later when she noticed the encampment. Settling into a treetop to watch without the ugly critters below seeing her, she waited to see what would happen.

Her eyes were able to spot her group despite the relatively thick foliage and she noted that they seemed to be giving the camp a wide berth. A few minutes later they started circling around, but Minako stayed put.

The girl not knowing what else to do, kept watching as the group left Makoto and then the new girl that had attacked her master. Scott kept walking for a short distance and then looked up in the air and waved his arm. That was the signal.

She glided down to see what he wanted.

"Serena, the rest of us are going to try and coral these whatever the hell they are in the center of their camp and try and take them all down." Said Scott.

The girl nodded and asked, "Whatcha got for me there boss?"

"Can you watch in the air for any reinforcements that seem to be coming, and give a signal for me. All the girls know to look for you and are waiting in a place where they can clearly see the sky." said the man. The girl couldn't see his smirk under his black helmet.

Scott showed her the signal he'd devised. Basically she'd raise one arm into the air and then slice it forward. She'd keep doing it till she saw them move out.

Flapping her wings to get back to her perch, she waited for Scott's signal. Then rose into the air high enough to be seen or at least she hoped so, and signaled with her arm.

With a violent scream echoing mechanically from his helmet Scott raced forward with sword drawn to begin the hoped for massacre.

He readily cut down one startled goblin, neatly splitting it's skull and ripping part of it away with a turn of his blade to free it from the stump of its neck.

Minako raced in and used her chain whip to good effect, trapping the arm of one goblin and reeling it in for a solid punch to its face. With a scream of pain it fell to the ground clutching it's ruined nose. A swift downward kick of her feet crushed its chest brutally and one more slam of her fist turned the already mangled face into a fine mushy pulp.

Makoto's first goblin didn't survive nearly as long, since one solid dynamic punch to its body sent it flying away like team rocket blasting off. The hapless creature didn't get nearly as much distance though.

However, the two of its companion creatures that were readily knocked over as they tried to get to their feet from the dead sleep they'd been in didn't appreciate the difference.

Ryoko easily cut through three of them as she charged the center mass of the creatures.

Half their numbers already dead or dying they screeched in fear and rage, trying to rally each other into a killing frenzy.

Scott found the leader of these goblins to be slightly more skilled as the red clad creature managed to slip its spear through his guard and hit his visor dead center.

Unfortunately for the slightly taller than a child creature, Cerametal armor and its component parts were far too tough for its diminutive strength.

The creature managed to scratch his target, but the carbon steel longsword that came flashing down did far more to its skull.

With their leader down, the other remaining goblins were quickly destroyed and that particular threat ended.

Scott and the girls looted the camp for any valuables and were happy to discover a few odd bits and pieces of jewelry and one or two pokepacks. Further several pokeballs were in the biggest tent and seemed to be arranged on a makeshift table with lit candles like they were some kind of offering.

'_hmmm, and what have we here..'_

The man scanned the balls finding two were empty but the other three housed pokegirls that had been stuck in their balls for who knew how long.

He set the balls into his pouch and nodded. P-chan would no doubt pay him a nice tidy sum for actually sending her some more girls to research. It was part of their arrangement after all. He was supposed to send her any girls he found that weren't going to be part of his harem.

It didn't offend his sensibilities quite as much to hand them over to the dimensionally displaced dark elf, since he knew where these particular girls would be. If Ru would be treated with dignity and respect then he knew these probably feral girls would be too.

"Ok, good job everyone, let's move out." he said, after putting out the small camp fire the creatures had built. They were done here.

It took a few minutes to reorganize as the girls had only that day began to learn how to travel in hostile terrain with group without being cluster fucked.

The cave itself wouldn't prove to be much more difficult as the superior force that descended upon them came quickly, silently and with deadly intent. Though scott and his girls were out numbered they simply had far too much skill and power to utilize at their discretion.

By the time the sun had begun to set, the team was already leaving the forest and heading off to inform the guild. The threat had been handled and they could send the local police force out to check the forests to find any left overs.

For once Scott's team had finally found an easy win.

-----

"Whoa.. are you sure?" Scott asked Analise over the phone. The image of the professor in question nodded and smiled. "Yes, That's the going rate in the league on average and I did promise you compensation for any feral or feralborn girls you sent."

The man nodded. After he'd checked with the pokecenter to see if any of the girls had living tamers to go back to he'd settled in for a proper taming session with his girls. The next morning he'd called up P-chan.

"Seriously.." said Scott. He had no idea about the amount of money a tamer could get for random pokegirls he found or captured. He was expecting the equivalent of a few hundred bucks, not a few thousand.

"Yep, While Cat and Bunnygirls are rather common, that Snowmelon wasn't." replied the woman cheerfully. Heck, if anything she'd stiffed him on the prices a little. The going league rate wasn't necessarily what he could have gotten for the very rare pokegirl.

"Take into account that each of them was at least level twenty or higher. You earned your pay." explained the professor.

"Sure.. fine.. but.. three hundred thousand credits.. I mean.." said Scott. Sure he'd quickly split that between him and the girls half to him for living expenses with all of them, the rest split equally between the four, but still.. just for finding a couple balled girls?

"It's a fair price. If anything had you sold them on the open market you could have gotten more." informed the woman.

Scott nodded. He'd figured that, but he'd rather they find a good home more or less.

"Did you get your bonus for the mission?" asked the woman curiously. Now that Scott was a Knight Errant of the league, he'd be getting much higher commissions. His time was far more valuable after all.

"Yeah, I was.. a little surprised at what they think my time is worth now." said the man with a chuckle.

Analise chuckled herself in response. "So any plans for your new found wealth?"

Scott smiled. "Yeah, i'm going shopping for equipment for myself and the girls at the guild today." With the twenty five percent discount he gets for gear now, he might even be able to afford more than a pair of socks.

"Alright then, i'll let you go. Be good, or good at it.." she said, an attempt at sounding like him.

Scott grinned at her and then said, "Oh, you know it baby."

A light pink tone came to her cheeks, before saying, "Uh.. yes.. anyway, have a nice day."

The man smiled at her antics, payback was a bitch. He hadn't forgotten her water bottle incident of not so long ago.

-----

"You gave him a field promotion?" asked the voice from the other side of the line.

Aaron nodded at the Head of the Adventurer's guild commission. "Yes, his actions, and personal sense of ethics seemed to warrant the situation."

The man sighed and shook his wizened head. "That may be so, and I won't dispute it.. but he hasn't been trained properly."

The less wizened but far older man answered, "Yes, and as I knighted him I must take responsibility for his tutelage."

"Very well then, i'll allow it. Understand though, that he has to take the trial at some point before the year is out." informed the commission head.

"Understood sir. I'm sure he'll pass with flying colors." stated Aaron.

The commissioner sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, "Let us hope so. The last thing we need is to have to explain why the newest knight, is also the first one to not pass the trials in over sixty years."

Aaron conceded the point to the man, and they said their goodbyes.

"Hmm, boy.. let's hope you're the fast learner Analise makes you out to be.." said the man lightly to himself.

-----

Scott checked his bank account via his dex once again and whistled lightly to himself. "Papa's gonna eat tonight!"

He'd brought the girls along into the guild headquarters but had been told that they had to be balled inside the guild unless in a training area.

So, he took down notes on what the girls might want from them and sent them to get some rest inside his tiny little balls. Heh.

After all that was taken care off he wondered off down to the local knight's armory, by passing the standard gear shop entirely, and his eyes lit up. It was like being a kid in a candy store. A candy store full of implements of death and pain. JOY!

The whole store room was section off with display model weapons and armor shown holographically in three dimensions. It was like he had found himself in a beautiful dream filled with sci-fi weapons.

Sadly though, he turned away from these after a moment and wandered over to the pokegirl equipment section.

"Lessee, I can spend about a hundred eighty thousand credits today.. that is if we want to eat till my next pay day." mumbled the man.

The first thing he looked up were collars. He didn't want to risk his girls getting captured or lost so he got four of the ones with gps mod chips inside them.

"Some kind of body armor might be nice for them." he thought a moment later.

When he found nothing that really screamed, 'pick me, pick me' he decided against that idea.

What he did find that was useful was a beginner's guide to white magic. "Something for Serena there.."

After that he wandered over to the T2 section. Then sighed a few minutes later. The only ones they had in stock that he wanted cost too much.

A few minutes later he found a much cheaper selection of training manuals though, and he smiled. "Guess for now, the girls will have to learn things to good old fashioned way.."

He purchased roughly twenty of these, as manuals weren't particularly pricey, and stuffed them in his cart.

Scott then went over to the weapons section and considered getting the girls something. A few minutes of considering though changed his mind.

The weapons were good, but the only one besides himself that needed an upgrade was Serena. He took out his dex, and fiddled through her data for a moment and nodded.

"We need some ranged fire support.." said the man aloud and then he looted.. or rather rooted, through the displays until he found the weapon for her he could afford. The one he wanted was far outside his price range currently.

'_She's a bit clumsy, but maybe she can learn to use this.'_ he thought to himself as he purchased the light element enchanted chakram style weapon. "He, Serena warrior princess."

The thought that since her main weapon right now in senshi form was a thrown spinning tiara had crossed his mind after all.

'_Ok, that takes care of the girls.. now for big daddy.'_ he said with a mental chuckle.

For himself the first thing he bought was a weapon upgrade. He wanted that heavy elemental pulse gun, but as his weapon license for such things was still on a thirty day waiting list, not to mention he didn't have two million credits to blow on it, he settled on an enchanted silver broadsword.

Supposedly it was made with fighting infernal type pokegirls in mind. He hoped it would actually at least sting a youma a little.

He found his cash running low, and wasn't able to afford to buy new armor. Though now he had something to shoot for. As one display had a set of armor with stats that made him drool. The price tag had the opposite effect though.

Shopping done for the day, the man headed out to begin a proper training regime with his girls.

-----

Whelp there we have chapter 15. Not much over all, but still. Feel free to tell me how much it sucks. At any rate, when I eventually write chapter 16, we'll be seeing a little more of the armored 'fella' that tried to help out during the youma attack..

---

Pokedex Tamer Entry:

Name: Scott

Age: 28

Residence: Ophun Research Institute

Region: Indigo league (alternative universe)

Status: Active

Rank: Knight Errant

Security Clearance: B

Adventurer's guild level: 5

Licenses

Guild: Y (Adventurer's)

Standard weapon license: Y

Guild weapon license: Y

Knight weapon license: (pending)

Class IV A, league weapon license: N

Tamer- N

Breeder- N

Watcher- N

Master Tamer- N

Storage- Y

Active Harem:

Minako: Slicer

Level 15

Makoto: Amazonchan

level 13

Serena: Angel

Level 23

Ryoko: Amazonwu

level 16

Companions:

Artemis: White moon Cat

level: N/A

Luna: Black Moon Cat

level: N/A


	16. Now Prepare for War

He screamed in soul piercing agony as the dark power stripped another portion of humanity away from him. He'd been here for days in this hellish nightmare prison.

The blond haired man circled around the cold stone slab he was strapped too and gazed down critically at him. "Almost ready are we.. "

The man cried inside, since he no longer had tear ducts to shed them outwardly.

"Yes.. yes.. good.." continued Jedite as he raised his hand to signal another piercing arc of Negative energy to be sent into the former man. Plans were coming together nicely, and soon this failed tamer would be the perfect tool to destroy those foolish humans that dared to resist the will of the Dark kingdom.

"Soon, my ugly little freak.. Soon.." laughed the Dark General.

----

Chapter 16: Now Prepare for War.

----

"I suppose that's enough for today.." said Aaron lightly after the thirty second time Scott had failed to produce the needed effect.

They'd been at it for nearly two weeks now, but the younger man hadn't once managed to even come close to manifesting the needed spell.

He had easily passed the physical portions of the trials, and had more than enough raw swordsmanship skill. Though, he could definitely use some polishing with advanced techniques.

No, where he failed was at the magic. A knight must learn to weave spells as well as use physical skills. Sadly, even the simplest of magical spells seemed beyond the dimensionally displaced soldier.

'_Perhaps that dark mana spell of his was simply a fluke..?'_ thought the man sadly. How such a thing could be possible he didn't know.

Scott nodded, "Yeah.. I guess so.."

Aaron clapped the man on the shoulder with his palm and smiled with more confidence than he actually felt. "You'll get it. I have faith in your ability to overcome such a minor obstacle."

The younger man smiled tiredly. "Thanks.."

"Oh please.. he's obviously a one hit wonder." snapped the resident critic.

Scott snorted at the woman and shook his head. "Whatever, I don't see you doing it?"

The half dark elf pulled out her Lightning sword and ignited the blade. "Why would I need something like that when I'm already beyond such meager parlor tricks.."

"Sure.. whatever you say.." muttered the man in irritation. Arshes Nei the armored knight that had come to his rescue 'sort of' back during the last youma attack had taken a constant stance of '_You aren't fit to wipe my Darshe's ass_'.

Scott wondered yet again what he'd done to cause one of the four lord's of havoc from the Bastard!! universe to show up and follow him around like an irritating super powered magical ex-girlfriend.

It was kind of like she was trying to impress upon him how much weaker he was than Dark Schneider. Like anyone needed to point out something so obvious!

"Heh..weakling.. I can't believe I ever thought you were Darshe.." muttered the woman to herself, while resheathing her sword.

Aaron coughed into his hand delicately to get their attention. Once he had it he said, "Yes, well let's get something to eat and check on those girls of yours shall we?"

Neither one of his companions could argue with that logic so they all wandered off towards the training room down the hall. Once again the girls were in training room number seven.

Scott saw Serena frown cutely at Ryoko as the 'wanna be samurai' pokegirl easily knocked her chakram out of the air with her wooden sword. Why the girl insisted on using a wooden one until she'd mastered his 'style' was beyond him. Any idiot could learn what he knew. It was taught everywhere.

The group was also treated to the sight of Minako finally mastering her new technique. 'Hydra Whip'. She'd already managed to learn catapult hell. Sure she had no non-senshi form energy attacks, but those two physical ones made her so much more dangerous with her chain whip it was almost ridiculous.

Makoto for her part was doing very well working with Minako as this gave her plenty of chances to work on her speed. She trained with weights as much as she battled, but Scott felt that if she ramped up her speed some then all that physical power would be put to more use. Besides, it's harder to hit what isn't there.

The ponytailed powerhouse had managed to learn comet and gatling punch as a way to try and counter the growing number of strikes the blond slicer could throw at her with her whip. She would need to train her fighting spirit some soon though, so that she could access her chi blast technique.

Scott glanced over at the only non-senshi on his team and pondered the situation. Ryoko had no special powerups, no edge so to speak. He'd need to help her develop her natural skills and try to find a way for her to use some kind of magic. Probably end up being the very kind of magic he was failing to learn himself right now.

Serena for her part was just trying to learn to use her chakram. It was enchanted to always return to her even if someone caught it. Usually if that happened it would try and teleport away or spin in place attempting to cut the one holding it. A particularly painful lesson for the Amazonwu that day.

"That's enough for today girls. Time to get something to eat.. um after a shower or something of course." said Scott lightly.

A few tired woops and exclamations of 'oh hell yeah' were heard. One of which came from Artemis.

------

The blue-back skinned creature lay wide eyed on the slab. Lupine features but no fur, it's eyes two burning pits of darkness. Every so often a current of black energy would crackle along its frame and then it would glow darkly.

A dark chuckle could be heard from the shadows and a question was asked, "Who are you..?"

"Havoc" replied the creature with a deep yet rasping tone, rather reminiscent of a cross between a snake's hiss and a drum if such a thing existed.

"What is your purpose..?" came the voice.

Without hesitation it replied, "Death, chaos, destruction, service to the negaverse, obedience to master Jedite."

A low evil laugh emanated from the darkness and the blond general strode forward a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Go then..Havoc and unleash yourself on those foolish humans!"

With a low snarl dark kingdom energy congealed around him and with a violent crackle and snap sound he disappeared, relocation just outside of the scene of his defeat.

"Let's see the human sheeple deal with a wolf in their pen. haha.. heehahaaha.. muhahahaah AHAHAAAHAHAH.." said the general in near hysterics. He was ever so clever.

-------

Scott stood alone in the training room that night after everyone had gone to bed. He had little time left and he must learn to use the Flame Blade spell. '_It's something like Enfire from final fantasy XI.."_ he thought.

Sadly, just like every other spell he tried it didn't work for him. There was some key component inside him that would not allow him to use any of the spells of this world.

That's why he was here in the training room when no one else was around. He figured if this was going to work then he'd have to try and do something similar to what he did when he learned the 'Black Metal' spell.

Basically he'd half ass it and babble random heavy metal song lyrics until he figured something out.

"_Gimme fuel! Gimme fire!_

_Gimme that which I desire!_"

"**_YEAHEH!_**" screamed Scott in a bad imitations of the lead singer from Metallica.

While he felt a slight pull on his surging energies, nothing happened. '_So.. I guess fuel by Metallica is out.'_

He tried another venom song, again a strange pulling but nothing happened. Feeling he was on the right track he continued trying random lyrics from his favorite heavy and black metal bands until several hours had passed.

Once or twice he felt he had been about to do.. something, though he wasn't quite certain what.

Scott glanced up at the wall display and sighed. "4 am.." He'd been here all night and nothing to show for it.

As he exited the training room a loud siren went off followed by the voice of the Nursejoy on duty coming over the intercom. "Warning! All low level tamers are to stay inside the pokecenter! There's a dangerous creature on the loose rampaging through town! I repeat unless you are a high level tamer stay inside the center!"

Scott raced down the hall to his room to collect the girls. When he arrived they were already awake and getting dressed as there was no way even Serena could sleep through an alarm that loud.

"Master! What's going on?!" asked Minako excitedly as he came bursting into the room and B-lined for his armor.

"Something's attacking the town." was all he said as he quickly got suited up, and readied his gear.

Ryoko perked up at that, maybe she'd get to see some of her master's samurai skills!

"What is it?" asked Makoto as She finished snapping on her green faux-leather vest.

Scott shook his head, "No clue, but be ready in case it's 'them'." he said in reply.

The girls all nodded except for Ryoko who was still out of the loop on the whole 'secret identity' thing. Not like it was the best kept secret in the world but they tried anyway.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Artemis much to the annoyance of Luna. The little black cat had the silly idea that she should be in charge of things like missions and training.

Scott glanced down at him, "Think you can get to a good spot on a roof or something and let us know what you see?" he asked, more as a way to make the cat feel like he was useful than as any actual purpose.

"Right!" he said with confidence, feeling like part of the team.

They all finished preparing and they raced towards the entrance of the pokecenter to be greeted by a small hoard of tamers and the Nursejoy frantically trying to keep everyone inside.

"Annie, let us out." said Scott as he came up to her.

The pokegirl shook her head, "I'm sorry Sir Scott, but we can't open the door even for you. That.. that.. thing is butchering everything in sight!"

Scott nodded at her in understanding but then said, "We'll handle it, what's a knight and his battle harem for right?"

The pokegirl seemed to take that into consideration.

Aaron came rushing up a moment later, He was clad in gleaming armor with a medieval style to it. No doubt he'd been getting into it and it had taken him so long to get here because of that. "Sir Scott! Excellent timing, were you heading out?"

The various tamers looked back and forth between the Nursejoy type, the old guy, and the guy in the black cerametal armor and began whispering to themselves. "He's a knight?" "Wow, I wanna be a knight.. bet he could handle this."

"I'm trying to Sir Aaron, I don't want to have to force my way out, but at this point I might have to." said the man in irritation. He understood the nursing pokegirl's position, but he and the senshi had to get out there!

"Annie, let us out." said the man.

The whispers in the background continued. Constant babble about there being two knights in the same pokecenter and more than a few eager to see them go out and kick some ass.

"Y-yes.. of course Sir Aaron." replied the girl as she hit the safety release and the Carbon steel inner door pulled aside revealing the glass doors of the center.

Aaron nodded at Scott. Scott nodded back and the senior knight and his junior comrade left side by side, the girls following after.

"Oh man, I wish I could see this fight!" exclaimed a Ronin to her master.

Several of the tamers had the same idea and tried to head towards the door.

Annie was having none of it though and immediately hit the emergency button bringing out the highly resistant blast door. "I said no!"

The mutters and cries of oh maaaan, could be heard all through the center.

Outside the center cries of agony and fear could be heard coming from just inside the town gates up ahead.

Racing down the street they heard a familiar voice cry out, "**_HIGHEST OF MYSTERIES_**

**_Imperial Sword Eagle Claw Strike!_**" followed by a brilliant flash of lightning and crashing thunder.

As they arrived on the scene and witnessed the dozens of dead, dying, and horribly injured, they also say Arshes in a loosing battle against a creature best described as a blue skinned wolf turned inside out.

The half dark elf was sent hurtling back by the barely injured monster to impact harshly into a food cart that had been left in the market square. The owner no doubt dead nearby.

"Arshes!" exclaimed Scott as he ran over to check on her. She may be an annoying critic, but she was also insanely hot! Er.. yeah.

"I'm fine you wuss.. geeze.." said the long haired hottie as she struggled back to her feet. "Gonna cry like a girl, just because I got an owie?"

"What-the fuck-ever..." he snapped then turned away from her and noticed his girls were already battling the disturbing creature.

Scott watched in horror as the creature seemed to blur around six of Minako's strikes with her Hydra whip attack, barely being tagged by the last one. Heck that one barely seemed to sting it.

He began powering up his energies to try and cast Black Metal. It was obvious this thing needed to be hit _hard._

His energies peaked and he raced over to the side to see if he could get a clear shot. Upon seeing an opening he unleashed his devestating uber spell.

"_Lay down your souls_

_to the gods rock and roll_"

"**_Black Metal!_**" he roared in that half sung half rasped voice he used for it. The now familiar wedge of dark energy rocketed out, but to his surprise the creature turned towards it, looked at it, and then simply lept clear of the extremely fast moving projectile magic attack.

The blast of dark slash gravity magic continued past the supposed point of impact to blow one of the open town gates off its hinges.

"NO FUCKING..WAY!" snapped the man in shock.

Arshes snickered behind him. "Heh.. wassa matter.. the one trick wonder can't hit the widdle puppy?"

"...Fuck it.." he said before running in with his sword drawn. Maybe if he got up close he could nail the thing with his next cast. He hoped so, because his legs felt like they were made of lead.

Makoto managed to nail it a few times with her comet punch, but despite the few hits it took the drop in power to make them fast enough to connect made it entirely pointless. Worse yet, when Serena's chakram came zipping in it dinged harmlessly off a corner of the town gate since the wolf thing simply moved out of the way.

It was too damn fast.

Ryoko tried to hit it with a wave of chi she sent hurtling from her wooden sword, but once again it simply blurred out of the way.

Aaron was in its face moving with a speed no one would possibly believe from a mere human. Even he wasn't seeming to keep pace with it though. A moment later the older man found himself being hurled away brutally with a powerful sweeping claw strike that sent him into the nearby wall cracking the masonry.

Minako and Makoto were continually trying to use their multiple hit attacks to wear it down, but the damned thing just didn't seem to notice.

"_Bullets of light_

_strike my enemies"_

**_"IRON LIGHTNING ANTHEM!"_** came a cry from next to Scott. He barely managed to spin to the side to avoid taking damage from the fiery darts that screamed across the road and actually managed to impact the creature.

Sadly the damage was minimal at best.

That was also when things took a turn for the worse. The beast howled in horrible imitation of a real wolf and caught Makoto offguard with a claw swipe.

The girl screamed in agony as she was sent flying, her blood splattering out in a wide arc.

"MAKOTO!" shouted Scott in shock and fear.

The creature then revealed itself to be what it truly was, a youma of the dark kingdom. It raised its bloodied claw and howled loudly. Everyone around Scott suddenly started to stagger at the power of this drain attack. Not only was this thing apparently from the negaverse, but it was some kind of super youma. Its drain attack being that much more powerful.

Scott seeing his chance, since the creature had to stop to use that drain ability quickly chanted his spell and roared out, "BLACK METAL!"

This time the wedge of force hit the creature dead center and sent it hurtling back into a nearby abandoned fruit stand.

Scott pulled out a potion from his pouch and quickly poured it on his downed friend and watched as her wounds rapidly healed before his eyes. At least that was something.

"Girls.. you're going to have to transform.." he said to them.

They knew it was true, but they hadn't wanted to with Aaron and Arshes around.

"Hurry, he's getting up!" called Artemis, actually managing to play the part of scout. Such a good kitty.

Scott staggered to his feet as the girls, minus Ryoko and Arshes, began their transformation sequences.

"**_MOON,, PRISM.. POWER!"_**

**_"JUPITER.. POWER!"_**

**_"VENUS... POWER!"_**

Came the near simultaneous call of the girls as their silver millenium magic took control and spun them around in a powerful magic disco effect looking naked dance scene transformation. There was like total nipple viewage too, none of that glowing body with boobs but no nipples stuff. Nice.

Arshes and Ryoko glanced at each other a second, then at Scott, then back at the suddenly skirt wearing pokegirls. "Ok.." said Ryoko.

"Now.. that's just odd.." came Arshes' reply. She'd seen a lot of magical transformations.. but never one where you did a technicolored dance number naked and suddenly had on matching uniforms.

The wolf lept to its feet and howled at them. It was more than a little pissed. Sadly it wasn't terribly hurt or even remotely for that matter. All the energy it had absorbed right before Scott's attack easily repaired any damage.

Before the girls could attack, a flaming wave of force impacted and washed over the creature.

Screaming in agony it flailed around trying to put itself out and then roared in pain.

They all turned to look at Aaron as he stood in front of the minor impact crater he'd made in the wall when he'd hit it, his sword held in front of him with traces of flame on the blade. He seemed battered, but ready to fight.

The girls seeing an opportunity launched their respective attacks, and they seemed to flow together into a spinning blade of electrical.. 'love' energy as Minako would call it. Though to Scott it looked more like a spinning blade of electricity and high yield plasma.

This powerful attack slammed brutally into the creatures chest once again sending it flying. This time it bounced off the only remaining town gate door and spun around the edge from the sheer force of the blow.

Everyone was ready to congratulate themselves, but the joy was short lived as the creature bounded over the city wall and landed in the courtyard. Smoke wafting off it's slightly battered and charred form.

"Why the fuck won't you just die already?!" snapped Scott to the ugly ass wolf youma.

Which of course served only to get its attention. It glowed darkly for a second and then blurred out of sight only to reappear a split second later with its fist buried in Scott's armor.

The man gasped in shock and pain as the monster easily crushed his armor and let the remaining force pass through to his body. He crumpled around the fist like a rag doll and then got tossed to the side like a prom dress.

Everyone shouted his name, and he could do nothing to answer but lay there gasping for breath, his abdomen badly bruised and his armor caved in pressing roughly against his chest making it even harder to take breath.

The creature wasn't done there though and immediately blurred over to bitch claw Arshes, tearing several deep gouges in her chest plate and sending her roughly to the ground.

A crescent beam slammed into it's side, preventing it from finishing the half dark elf off, but catching the monsters attention.

The Senshi were on the defensive now, trying their best to stay out of harm's way. Harm being a inside out wolf named Havoc.

"Moon.. tiara.. magic!" exclaimed Serena, sending her tiara whizzing off to ping off the side of the monster. This time though a bright black line of blood erupted from its side, showing that her attack was actually useful for something after all. Hell, in the normal time line it was lethal.

The unfortunate Senshi of love and justice soon found herself being back handed roughly across the face by the wolf youma less than two seconds later, and her arm dislocated as it grabbed it roughly and spun around to hurl her ruthlessly against the town wall.

A sick crack emanating from her impact zone. The moon princess was down for the count.

Her name was cried out again, as Ryoko nailed the beast with a chi blast from her sword. It cut a slight line into its back that bled a little, but nothing more than that.

The wolf youma tried to blur over and rip her apart, but it found itself on the recieving end of a combination flame wave, and Jupiter Thunder Crush.

Burned and electrocuted it roared in pain as chunks of its flesh charred and fell away. One of its eyes burst and melting in the socket.

The beast lept atop the wall and used its drain attack to recharge itself and bring more power to the negaverse. Its wounds began to fade, while Minako attempted to nail it with her Hydra Whip attack.

Sadly, it was wise to the maneuver and somehow managed to barely dodge most of the strikes while draining the crowd of vital force, proving that it didn't have to stand still.

The group of defenders continued trying to nail the creature with ranged attacks, before Makoto lept atop the wall and tried to take the battle to the monster as many of its wounds faded.

She was readily backhanded away as the creature blurred itself form due to the incredible speeds it could move at and continued its attempted restoration.

"Move.." came the voice of Arshes Nei. She was finally back up for the battle.

They all got out of the way and she started a much more powerful spell. Hopefully she didn't take half the city with her.

"**_DEI-VU MUSTAINE"_**

_Spirits of the Earth and Sky.."_

She began. The wolf, filled with hubris at its power ignored her and continued draining the rapidly dying crowd of people. Massive levels of elemental fury began building around the dimensionally displaced half dark elf.

"_In accordance with the pact of ancient times_

_Fulfill your duties!"_

"**_MEGADEATH_**

_Heaven and Earth_

_**EXPLODE**!"_

For a split second nothing happened, but then apparently the heavens and the earth did exactly as she asked. The ground erupted even as the air in front of her exploded in a violent display of force so powerful that it blasted outward from her for several hundred meters, nailing the youma, the wall, and about forty trees just outside the gate in its path completely decimating everything but what she intend.

When the cloud of dust and debris settled there was a eight foot wide trench and fifteen foot wide hole where a wall used to be. The destructive scar in the earth had continued on at least a hundred meters.

She nodded, "See the stupid dog get up after that!"

The others stood speechless as they stared at her. "Wha..?!" exclaimed Ryoko as she tried to fathom just what the hell had happened.

Arshes was about to tell them about what it meant to be the thunder empress, but a decidedly disheartening howl roared out from the mangled portion of the forest.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" was exclaimed in a girlish dark elven voice. Apparently that was the catch phrase of the day.

The wolf youma, had withstood the assault of Megadeath and though horribly mangled and charred seemed more than ready to continue the battle.

Dark energy coalesced around it. It began to crackle and then it disappeared inside the miasma. A few seconds later it faded out and in front of them was a slightly more human looking creature, but this time it was far less mangled.

Ooops, guess it was round two.

"Oh you bitches will pay for that.." said the strangely familiar creature.

"Wha.. HEY!" snapped Minako. None of them were canine pokegirls after all.

The youma snorted at them and sent out a wave of dark energy that seemed to freeze everything in its path. Aaron tried to counter with his flame wave, but it only held back the dark torrent of icy negative force for a minute before his flame was consumed and he was sent flying back. Ice rapidly began forming on the man as he fell to the earth.

"Damn.. this is so not good.." said Arshes as one of the heavy hitters went down. What the hell was this thing! '_Darshe.. I need you.."_ she thought, hating to admit how much she wished the perverted evil immortal wizard were here now.

Scott finally caught enough wind to remove his armor top, and his helmet. They were both equally useless right now as the monster had damaged the micro-circuits.

He breathed in a bit of ragged air as he lay there trying to build back some of his energy. He glanced over and noticed Serena was laying limply at a bad angle and tried to reach her with a potion.

He managed to do so just as another blast of dark kingdom infused ice energy wash outward to catch Minako before she could evade.

Arshes cast her Iron lightning anthem spell again, this time doing some moderate damage to the far less durable human form of the monster. Sadly though it still wasn't enough as she too got caught in an icey attack. This one forming around her like a mist as the creature raised and then slammed his hands together.

Black blood poured from its many wounds, but slowly they were closing. Dark kingdom youma having an absurdly high healing rate.

Ryoko sent off another chi blast, trying to counter a wave of energy it had just sent arcing towards her. Surprisingly she did manage to divert some of the force, but the creature simply continued to pour it on and she found herself knocked out and shivering under a coating of ice unconscious.

Scott poured some potion on Serena, but to his horror her Senshi transformation didn't seem to allow for it to work on her. She showed no sign of improvement.

'_No..'_ thought Scott. It was all going wrong again. They were being beaten bad, for all he knows some of his friends were dead. Yes, friends.. he couldn't seem them as anything less.

As he saw Makoto struggle to dodge behind a cart to avoid being flash frozen, he took in the sight of devastation around him. Everyone and everything he loved and cared about were being destroyed all around him.

'_No..!'_ raged the man in his mind. Things would not end like this.

He struggled to his feet, feeling incredibly vulnerable without his chest armor and helmet.

The monster sent out another wave of negatively powered ice energy that froze the stand Makoto was hiding behind. A snarp of could be heard, as though it had snapped its fingers and suddenly the stand shattered into tiny little pieces, revealing her hiding place.

The girl gasped in shock and narrowly managed to avoid another blast of ice. Scott could hear the insane laughter of the creature.

'_Serena..'_he thought, gazing down at her. "Minako..Ryoko..No.." he whispered softly to his dread.

He saw Aaron and Arshes laying cold and unmoving. '_My friends.. all these people..'_ his mind began to rage.

What could he do though? He was too weak to pull off another Black Metal, and even if he did, it wouldn't stop the monster.

'_I need power.. I need to help my friends.. to stop this thing!'_ he shouted mentally.

He watched in terror as Makoto was partially hit by a wave of force and her arm seemed to get coated in ice. Her cry of pain as she rolled behind the abandoned fruit cart snapped him out of it.

'_I have to help her!'_ he proclaimed inside his mind.

No longer caring if he lived or died, only wanting to buy his friend more time in this world, he whirled around into the open town gates and faced the monster.

"Ha.. haha... muhahahaah! You?! You are trying to fight me now?" cackled the insane creature in glee.

Scott took in the sight of him and began to recognize a few distinct features, slowly his brows knit together and he growled low under his breath. "You..!"

"Loser.. what did you think you were going to do.. hit me with your butter knife and save the day?!" laughed the monster with deranged glee.

Scott noted several dozen small holes that leaked black blood, all over its body. '_probably Arshes work..'_he thought.

"The thought had crossed my mind.." said Scott simply as his mind raced trying to find something, anything that would help him defeat this evil jackass.

The monster snorted and raised a clawed hand. "Fool! Give me your energy!"

Scott just looked at him coolly as the youma stood there stupidly trying to take his power.

'_I need.. a miracle..'_ thought Scott.. as the monster seemed to struggle with itself attempting to raise its draining attack to a level where it would take his energy. '_I need.. something.. preparations.. plans.. I need to take this firing burning inside and turn it into something I can use dammit!'_

Then it came to him, just like that. The fire burning inside. It reminded him of one of his favorite songs of all time. The song began to play in his mind while the creature glared at him, and Scott thinking fast began to act like he was weakening, making it look like the wolf was doing something so that it would keep trying.

"See! I knew you'd give me your energy!" cackled the monster as it kept standing there looking foolish but believing it was achieving.. well, something.

As the song reached the part that had clicked in his mind, he knew.. he'd get one shot at this. These were his words, his song, an anthem to the power that burned inside him.

"What ya got to say now fool.. yeah.. on your knees!" snapped the wolf as it seemed to take sincere joy in trying to force Scott to submit. Something of the jerk tamer it once was must still be in there.

"What do I say..?" asked Scott, through clenched teeth.. "I say.."

"_Raging fear from skies above,_

_the fire fuels my veins."_

Came his reply in a near whisper. He felt the power inside him churn and surge, it was working. He knew it was working!

Scott thought about the next words as they filled him, his power wrapping around the warning they echoed in his mind.

"_Destruction of humanity,_

_the everlasting flame."_

Sang out Scott, this time loud enough to be heard by the monster. "What the little human thinks he's a sorcerer now? Feh.. whatever.. fool.."

"_Cast away, no turning back from long forgotten shores._

_We'll show no mercy as they fall!_

_The fire burns inside!_"

Sang Scott loudly, the power beginning to form around him shocking the monster into building his energy to blur forward and finish him off. He didn't want to risk another spell like that damned elf bitch had used.

"_Now._."

Began Scott Before roaring out, "**_PREPARE FOR WAR!_**"

As the dark kingdom youma raced forward, a brilliant flare of light erupted out of the man. Forming into a fiery aura that arrived in a concussive blast of force.

Around his blade was wrapped a burning hot flame that seemed to emanate from the sword itself, and somehow merge with the elemental force already existent in the enchanted metal.

In that instant before the creature's claws would find Scott's chest the world seemed to slow down as his instincts kicked in and he spun with the movement of the creature. He somehow narrowly avoided the attack as his blade whipped around to slice deeply into the creature's exposed back and side, catching his arm and cutting away a large chunk of the flesh there.

Enough that its motion finished ripping it away, and it flew limply from the monster, midway the wrist.

It roared in agony as a blood liquid pumped furiously from its lethal wounds.

Not dead yet though it reared on Scott and raised its one good claw to strike at the man, but as fate would have it the most beautiful sound in the world could be heard from inside the town.

"**JUPITER THUNDER CRUUUUSH**!"

The creature blasted forward as a torrent of magical lightning flared into its body causing it to be deep fried and stunned just long enough for Scott to take advantage and spin forward in a brutal sweeping arc that connected strongly with its neck.

A deep meaty thwack could be heard, a moment before the creatures head separated from its torso and it too went flying much like the hand from a moment before.

Before the head struck ground, the creature exploded in an array of dark energy and its body fell to the ground as dust.

The last of his energy spent Scott's momentum took him in a spinning arc that left him sitting raggedly on the ground, his sword barely able to be held in his numbed hands.

The shock of the unexpected victory flood through him for a moment before he called out, "Makoto..!"

The girl came over favoring her arm. The ice having disappeared but a deep chill had remained. "Master! You're ok..!"

Scott hugged her to him and held the girl tight."Yeah.. but what about you.. and the others?!"

The girl cried softly as she held onto him. She knew they needed to get up and try to help the others, but that fight had been so close it was scary. That was twice in a month were she'd pretty much ended up fighting alone and terrified.

"I love you Mako-chan.." said Scott tearfully. The girl bawled loudly at hearing that and held him tighter. A little too tight as he had to squeak out a "Need..air.."

"S-sorry.. Master.." she said with a blush.

Scott nodded and then tried to get up, even though he felt like he was made of lead. "We, need to check on the others"

Makoto helped him up and nodded. She hoped they were alright, they were all like.. I dunno, family or something. She didn't really truly know what that meant as hers had died when she was younger, and she'd been raised pretty much as cheap labor even before she thresholded.

------

Whelp there's chapter 16, and for once Scott actually planned to play a key role in the final defeat of the enemy. Though you have to understand.. it was really in the end a grudge match.

Henry the douche bag is finally dead, yay.

Hmm, I wonder how Jedite will take the loss of his newest Super Youma.. I suspect he might start paying attention to just who's killing all his little toys. eh?

IF anyone seems to think the Youma are too powerful, I assure you.. there's good reason. I could simply say it now, but honestly, it's better to do so story-wise.

I'd considered making Havoc an ongoing rival villain, but realized that I already have an ass-load of those, what with four negaverse generals and any random crossover elements I throw in.

Jedite's the current Big bad after all, and poor douche bag Henry was just a hapless sap. If he were less of a tool i'd of even felt sorry for him. Ah well.

----

Name: Scott

Age: 28

Residence: Ophun Research Institute

Region: Indigo league (alternative universe)

Status: Active

Rank: Knight Errant

Security Clearance: B

Adventurer's guild level: 5

Licenses

Guild: Y (Adventurer's)

Standard weapon license: Y

Guild weapon license: Y

Knight weapon license: (pending)

Class IV A, league weapon license: N

Tamer- N

Breeder- N

Watcher- N

Master Tamer- N

Storage- Y

Active Harem:

Minako: Slicer

Level 22

Makoto: Amazonchan

level 19

Serena: Angel

Level 26

Ryoko: Amazonwu

level 21

Companions:

Artemis: White moon Cat

level: N/A

Luna: Black Moon Cat

level: N/A

Arshes Nei: Half Dark Elf Sorcerer Knight, and one of the four lord's of Havoc. Except not the Havoc that got killed just a minute ago.

level: Whatever it is, it's fuckin high baby! (N/A)

Aaron: Human (longevity, magic affinity) blood gifts

Level: N/A (Knight Lord and leader of the Oldtowne Adventurer's Guild.)

Recently slain major villains:

none

Recently slain minor villains:

Henry, (the wolf youma Havoc)


	17. Rules of Engagement

Disclaimer: I do not own the pokegirls origin concepts or any publicly recognizable characters from other media. I intend no copyright infringement.

----

"Are you sure..?" he asked sorrowfully.

Alanera nodded. "Yes, we can do nothing for you till the magic we used to change your form settles. Currently there is a high probability that you'd end up as little more than a puddle of some noxious goo."

Ru winced mentally and then shook his head, "How long..?"

"Three months, at the least. More likely five." came the unwanted reply.

The former drider grimaced lightly, "Well.. I understand.. but can you tell me one thing?"

"What..?" she replied.

"Just what is a chocolate chip, and why do I want to use them in a secret baking related plan to overthrow the Tollhouse Corporation?" asked the newly transformed elf.

"..."

Ru muttered to himself and sighed. Then he looked up from the table he was standing on, his six inch tall frame slumped in defeat. "For that matter.. what's an M&M?"

"..." was all Alanera said.

The newly transformed keebler sighed and shook his head. Sometimes it just didn't pay to get out of the tree in the morning. Ah well, he had cookies to bake, best get to it.

-----

Chapter 17: Rules of Engagement.

----

"So, it happened after all?" asked Aaron rhetorically to the vid screen in front of him.

The far older looking man responded, "Yes. She just finished thresholding, while you were away."

The guild leader of Oldtowne sighed and nodded. "I was hoping it would skip here generation, like it did with her great grandmother."

"We all did, but life rarely allows for such things. Still, she could have done worse for herself." came the withered man's reply.

"Quite True 'grandpa.'" came the Aaron's reply.

'Grandpa' smirked at him and shook his head, "Cut that out will you, you know damn well you're older than me."

The longevity bloodgifted man chuckled merrily and nodded, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"What's the matter with kids today.. my my.." came the reply.

Aaron smirked. "Fine, fine, well, son do you have a tamer in mind for her?"

"There's been a few sniffing around. No one i'd want her to end up with though."

The far older man nodded and then had a bazaar thought, "You know.. I might just know someone.."

"Oh..?"

"Yes, he's even a knight of the league.." informed the man.

Grandpa's eyes widened slightly, "Well.. that's a possibility then.. but.. well.. you remember Norma's request don't you?"

Aaron nodded, "True.. but I think he can handle it."

"Ah, well that's good then. Bring him by the shrine soon if you can, I won't be able to keep these drooling idiots away forever." sighed the man.

"Don't worry, i'm sure we'll be able to get there in time to help my great granddaughter."

The tiny old man on the screen nodded, and said, "Thanks dad."

-----

Scott stood once again in the training room. His girls were off to one side of the area working on their various skills while he was attempting to master his new fire attack.

While it did have some interesting benefits, Elemental damage plus there seemed to be a haste-like spell that comes with it, it also took way too long to power up and cast.

He'd been toying with it for the last two days, and discovered a very interesting fact. If he shortened the spell at various points, he'd get slightly different and weaker effects.

The problems lay in just where to shorten the spell though. If he cut it too short, then it didn't work, too long and it drained too much of his overall power and life energy for it to be useful.

So far the only thing he knew for sure was that if he just powered up and sang out the attack name he'd get a weak elemental fire damage upgrade with no haste attached to it. Low power drain, and somewhat useful.

To that end he cast the spell again, this time with his mind focused entirely on the spell's full form.

_"Raging fear from skies above,_

_the fire fuels my veins."_

Once again the power inside him began to churn, to surge and flow around him like a warm inviting blanket on a cold day.

_"Destruction of humanity,_

_the everlasting flame_."

The power begins to burn brighter, his aura flickering with tiny pin pricks of light that flow around him like fire flies, or the embers of a dying fire.

"_Cast away, no turning back from long forgotten shores._

_We'll show no mercy as they fall!_

_The fire burns inside!_"

He sang out strongly, the power wrapping around him beginning to radiate an inferno of raging energy that left minor scorch marks on the floor despite not harming him in the slightest.

_"Now.._"

_**"PREPARE FOR WAR!**_" exclaimed the man loudly, a split second before a concussive wave of force erupted from him and sent his firey aura racing into the blade before him.

Fire burned brightly along it's glowing red length.

"Data registration complete, analyzing.. compiling data... averaging.. data entry complete." came a mechanical voice.

"My master is so cool!" exclaimed Ryoko as she gazed in awe at her new Sensei. She just had to learn his art! It was the duty of every samurai to perfect themselves after all.

"Yeah, we know.. it's all you ever talk about!" exclaimed Luna in irritation. Did they really need a fangirl around? Honestly, she wasn't even a senshi!

Scott ignored the bickering going on in the background as he checked the latest data on his full strength support skill.

----

Prepare for War

Ability type: Magic elemental fire

Sub-category: Spell

Tertiary classification: Song

Type: Support

Attack rating: Base 60 (upgrade) Full Version.

Requirements: 30 mana, 15 psi, 14 chi

Notation on official full version of spell.

Prepare for War is a specialized elemental blade support spell exclusive to Knight Errant Scott of the Indigo League. It is a fire based ability that works similar to a combination of Fire Blade Mark II, Haste, Fire eater, and Ice Ward.

The power rating of the fire based portion is relative to a low level Firaga attack.

---

Scott nodded. The damage rating in and of itself was rather low to moderate. The support effects were quite good though.

He needed to figure this out though. While the full version was set and quite good, it took a few precious seconds to cast. Seconds he might not have in a fight.

A chakram dinged off the wall next to him a moment later startling him. "Wha.?!"

Serena called out, "Ooops.. sorry master.." from her part of the training room, where she and Minako were sparring.

Scott smiled at her and said, "It's cool.." before getting back to the task at hand. A moment later the ring began buzzing and then disappeared, only to reappear in the angel pokegirls hand.

"I love that!" exclaimed the pokegirl, happy to have a toy that let her be lazy enough not to have to walk over and pick it up.

The man chuckled at her antics for a second and then turned back to studying the spell list entry.

'_Maybe i'm going about this all wrong..?'_ he thought after a moment. '_What if..'_

He walked quickly back over to the red analysis square and hefted his blade. '_Which part though.. hmm._.'

He blinked and nodded a second later and decided to try out his hypothesis.

"_Raging fear from skies above,_

_the fire fuels my veins_."

"_**PREPARE FOR WAR!**_" exclaimed the man. The resultant burning in his hands causing him to drop his sword.

_**"Ohgoddammit**_!" Screeched the man in pain as he could feel his flesh cooking.

"Master!" came the excited cry of fear from his harem as tears came to his eyes.

"I'm on it!" exclaimed Minako.

The sound of the door opening, a moment later signaled Minako's departure as she went careening down the hallways to find a Nursejoy. Sure she could have used the comm system, but she wasn't thinking about anything but helping her master.

The girls huddled around in fear while the man tried his best not to break down and start sobbing like a whiney little bitch. What was a matching set of third degree burns really?

Aaron came walking in a moment later with a decidedly anxious look on his face. However, when he saw what was going on he raced over to see what the problem might be.

Scott glanced up at him, tears rolling down his face, startling the man greatly.

He looked down and saw the cracked, bleeding and blackened hands and his eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead they rose so quickly.

"Training accident..?" he asked curiously.

The girls were babbling at him about what happened and once the man got the gist of it he nodded and said, "This won't take a moment, hold still. As best you can."

At Scott's uncomprehending look of agony the man decided the best bet was to go straight for the big guns, so to speak. Those hands looked horrible.

_"Mighty breeze,_

_heal from the sky_"

**_"CURAJA_**!" intoned the man dramatically. A second after he managed the spell a wave of light began to shine brightly around Scott and his pain faded away, slowly his wounds began to heal and the blackened flesh to take on a lighter coloration.

A moment later the wounds had disappeared in their entirety, much to the amazement of the group.

"You're a white mage?" asked Scott after a few minutes of staring stupidly at his now perfectly healed hands. '_What the hell..?' Magic can really heal that fast..? Why the hell have I been in the hospital so freaking much!'_

The man nodded. "Not many know that spell. Most never go beyond the level of Cura and i've only personally met a handful who can utilize even Curaga."

As he finished his explanation, the door zwipped open and Minako came running in with Annie hot on her heels.

"There he is!" exclaimed the blond pokegirl in panic.

The nursing pokegirl ran over to begin checking his wounds and then glanced up at Minako in agitation. "This man doesn't need medical attention.."

"It was taken care of just prior to your arrival Annie, but thank you." said Scott simply.

"Oh.. ok.." she said with a sigh. She had a ton of patients to take care off still, and paperwork, always the paperwork.

As the nursing pokegirl made her excuses and wandered off, Aaron asked Scott, "What happened?"

The girls gathered round to hear. They wanted to know too, after all.

"I was trying to determine how to use a lower powered version of my new spell, and ended up nearly burning my hands off." he said sheepishly.

"Oh..?" was all Aaron said, with an askance feel to it.

Scott nodded, feeling more than a little idiotic.

"Hmm.. any ideas why it did that.?" asked the man as he was curious.

He shook his head in response, "All I did was what i'd been doing cutting it short..."

"Well, where did you cut it?"

The dimensionally relocated man hmm'ed and said, " Raging fear from skies above,

the fire fuels my veins. Now Prepare for War.."

Every thought about that for a moment trying to understand why those words would cook his hands, but it was Ryoko who spoke up.

"Master.. that's not right.." she said, as though she were speaking a blasphemy.

"Huh..? What..?" he asked her curiously..

"Well.. you never said NOW.. when you tried that spell." she said meekly.

"Are you sure..?" he asked her softly.

"Of course she's sure! All she's done all morning is stare at you, her mouth gaped open like a fish!" snarked Luna.

Ryoko turned beet red and fidgeted.

"Well, if that's the case it probably explains what happened." said Aaron with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"How so?" asked Scott.

"Well, for some spells you need certain key words to link the power of it to the weapon being infused.. so.. it's obvious that 'now' is probably the linking word in your spell. Without it.. it's very possible that you tried to enchant elemental fire directly into your hands." informed the man sagely.

Scott's eyes widened comically at that thought. Such a thing might be common for a fire elemental creature or a fire element pokegirl, but for a human's fleshy hands..? He's lucky he had any hands at all!

"So.. maybe I should try it again, but this time without half-assing it?" he asked curiously.

Aaron nodded, and said, "I'll be here to do a little healing, if it's necessary."

Scott agreed though the thought of, 'Let's hope my hands don't fall off.'

"Hey um.. Sir Aaron.." began Makoto.

"Yes, my dear?" he asked her in response.

Makoto fidgeted a second and said, "If you can use healing magic.. why didn't you during that battle?"

He sighed and said, "I was continually being battered around and every time I woke up I saw an oppurtinity to try and end the fight directly, even if it didn't work out that way. The sooner the beast had been taken down, the sooner we could have patched everyone up."

The pokegirl nodded 'That.. kind of makes sense. I guess.' she thought.

Scott readied himself and nodded before he began.

_"Raging fear from skies above,_

_the fire fuels my veins."_

He began, and then continued decisively, to the vague amusement of the others

_"Now.."_

_"**PREPARE FOR WAR!**_" sang out the man loudly.

This time when he did so, it wasn't his hands that began roaring with elemental fury, it was his sword. Sir Aaron had been right.

The overall effect seemed muted compared to the full version, but he could still tell it was fairly strong.

The computer when through it's analysis phase and compiled the data, before Scott allowed the power of the blade to wink out.

"What's it say master?" asked Ryoko curiously.

Scott smiled happily a few moments later. "Well, seems I was right! There 'is' a lesser version of that spell!"

"Hmm, really?" came Aaron's reply as he wandered over to see if he could take a look.

"That's a rather drastic drop in status effects though." he pointed out after seeing it.

"Yeah, this version seems to only make a somewhat weaker flaming sword, instead of adding the effects. Still, it'll be useful considering it only takes a little mana for me to use this version instead of the massive drain on my energies the full version uses." said Scott lightly.

Aaron nodded at him and smiled lightly.

It took Scott a second but he finally thought to ask, "Hey Sir Aaron.. what brings you by anyway..? I thought you'd be over in Oldtowne or something since you said we wouldn't be doing anymore knight training till next month."

The man took and deep breath and let out a slow sigh. "Yes. I did.. but I came by because.." he began before turning to look Scott in the eyes.

"Sir Scott, I need your help." he finished.

Scott blinked at him, then quirked his eye and asked, "Ok.. What's the problem?"

Aaron paused in thought for a moment and then said, "My great granddaughter has recently thresholded, and she needs a proper tamer.."

"So.. you want me to take her on.. sure no problem I guess?"

The man nodded, but continued, "Yes, but there's a problem.. you see my granddaughter's dying wish was that her daughter... get married.."

Scott nodded. That seemed rather normal what was the problem?

"So.. what's the problem.. I'm sure she's a nice girl.. doesn't she have any suitors?" asked Scott.

"That's the problem, she has a lot of them. None of them worth mentioning and most make my son's skin crawl." said the man before continuing, "Though there is one I do have hopes for."

He then gazed at Scott imploringly.

Scott thought about what he'd been saying and then it finally dawned on him, _'What the.. he wants me to MARRY his great granddaughter?!'_

"Wait.. who.. what..? You want me to marry someone I don't even know the name of?!" exclaimed Scott in shock.

The girls in general didn't seem to like THAT idea either. Another harem sister would be bad enough.. but being second fiddle to their master's new WIFE.. no way!

Aaron sighed again, and gazed at Scott with a near pleading look, "I know it's a lot to ask..but please at least meet the girl?"

Scott was going to refuse and rightly so, but the look in the proud man's eyes reminded him of the constant things he'd done on his behalf. _'The old fart.. really needs me to do this..'_

Scott sighed and said, "I won't make any promises, but we can at least meet up. What's her name..?"

Aaron smiled greatfully, "She's a lovely girl really..she's a little.. spirited.. I'd guess you'd say, singing voice of an angel pokegirl.." he began.

Serena perked up at that. Of course considering 'her' singing voice, that stereotype didn't always hold true. Still, it was an offhanded breed compliment.

"Well.. she 'sounds' nice.. but.. what's her name?" asked Scott again.

"Rei. She lives with my son at the Hickey-wa shrine north of Oldtowne.." supplied the man finally.

Scott hmm'ed at that and an odd thought struck him, _'Sounds familiar..'_

"When do we leave.. I guess?" he asked finally.

Aaron beamed a bright smile at him. "As soon as you're available to go?"

"Fine.. we'll go get showered and changed, then meet you out front." said Scott.

The girls mumbled to themselves about not liking this at all, but they'd have to go along with it. It was just the way things were.

'_Maybe, we'll become good friends?_' thought Serena to herself. She'd always been an outgoing sort, though lacking in confidence beyond simple friendliness. New friends always made things better.

----

Whelp there we have chapter 17

A little bit of humor, a little drama, and a bit of foreshadowing. duhn duhn duh..

---

Name: Scott

Age: 28

Residence: Ophun Research Institute

Region: Indigo league (alternative universe)

Status: Active

Rank: Knight Errant

Security Clearance: B

Adventurer's guild level: 5

Licenses

Guild: Y (Adventurer's)

Standard weapon license: Y

Guild weapon license: Y

Knight weapon license: (pending)

Class IV A, league weapon license: N

Tamer- N

Breeder- N

Watcher- N

Master Tamer- N

Storage- Y

Active Harem:

Minako: Slicer

Level 24

Makoto: Amazonchan

level 20

Serena: Angel

Level 26

Ryoko: Amazonwu

level 22

Companions:

Artemis: White moon Cat

level: N/A

Luna: Black Moon Cat

level: N/A

Arshes Nei: Half Dark Elf Sorcerer Knight, and one of the four lord's of Havoc. Except not the Havoc that got killed just a minute ago.

level: Whatever it is, it's fuckin high baby! (N/A)

Aaron: Human (longevity, magic affinity) blood gifts

Level: N/A (Knight Lord and leader of the Oldtowne Adventurer's Guild.)

Recently slain major villains:

none

Recently slain minor villains:

Henry, (the wolf youma Havoc)


	18. Parasytic

Warning: I haven't been able to write anything on this story for a year. If it sucks, bill me.

Disclaimer: I don't own the pokegirl concept rights. As far as I know there's like a few hundred people contributing to it constantly so its more or less free source, as long as you don't claim the concept rights to anything but your own original work in this particular genre.

......

Scott sighed lightly as he looked out the bus window. It should have been a short ride back to Oldtowne and then a brisk walk up to the Hickey-wa shrine. Like bus lines of old, however, this one took several out of the way stops and turned a two and a half day walk into a four day bus ride.

He did get to see the towns of Grasscock and Nippleton though. Nice little places with mildly interesting people. He'd seen a minotaura and even what looked like a naga. He hadn't really seen a great variety of pokegirls for real even though he'd been on this perverted world for nearly a year now, so this had been rather nice to the man.

Some parts had been a little odd to him. The sight of the half snake and half human chick had been slightly unnerving. She had a nice rack, though, so there was that going for her.

"My peekabu could too take out a widow!" snapped a young green haired boy to a slightly older green haired girl.

"Can not! Widow's are insanely strong! Your peekabu wouldn't last five seconds!" railed the girl.

This conversation and similar had been going on for days as the two teenagers had argued back and forth about how powerful their starting pokegirls were. Neither of them had apparently had a real battle, yet they couldn't stop babbling about how awesome they were.

"Cinnamon would kick its ass!"

Scott blinked and finally had to speak up. "You seriously named a peekabu.. Cinnamon? What is she a family cat?" Artemis looked up at him with a kitty frown and went back to trying to nap in his lap. He and Luna were the only two of the group outside of Aaron that were allowed to ride free. The girls had to get balled.

"Wha.. who the hell asked you anyway?" asked the bratty young man. He was all of sixteen and thought he knew everything of the world.

"What's with that crappy armor anyway? Who buys that shit anymore?" snarked his sister.

"Common decency asked me. Neither of you knows how to shut up and stop bothering the rest of the bus with your chattering." informed Scott in the manner of a cranky old man.

Several other riders spoke up with a loud, "Thank the gods!" and "Bout time someone said something.. damn!"

"Hey! We can talk all we want you jackass!" snapped the green haired chick.

"Whatever. It would be nice if either of you had a clue what you were talking about though." replied the man as Aaron agreed with a nod.

Jayce, the green haired sibling, couldn't help but snap back at him with, "We know what we're talking about! We're pokegirl tamers! A tin can wearing idiot like you wouldn't know a pokegirl from a..a.. butt hole!"

Gina, his sister, started laughing snidely at that and Scott shook his head. Part of him wanted to continue the argument but he really didn't want to encourage idiocy in children.

"I refuse to keep arguing with you. I'm sure that many others on this bus would appreciate it if you talked a bit more quietly about all your vast experience with taming though." replied Scott as civily as possible.

"Yeah sure.. whatever.. want us to wipe your butt and make you cookies too while we're at it?" snarked Gina.

Scott rolled his eyes, though they could not see him do it, and said, "I'm not sure you're qualified. Do you have references little girl?"

"What?" she asked in confusion. It took her a minute to process this before she answered with a cry of, "Oh you can just suck my balls!"

Scott's electronically enhanced voice replied smoothly, "Present them." It took all his self restraint not to break out laughing as he said it though.

The teenagers looked at him stupidly and then stared at each other for a few seconds before shutting up. They really had nothing else to say to that.

Aaron quirked an eyebrow at him but could not hide the slight smile threatening his features. That had been an interesting method of handling the situation to say the least.

......

Chapter 18: Rei of light.

......

Two days into Scott's bus ride....

"Young man, i've asked you to leave for the last time. My grand daughter has no interest in you." informed grandpa Hino. He'd been called that for so long no one remembered his real name.

"Bite us gramps. Since when do pokegirls get to choose their masters anyway? Just bring the little slut out here so we can get this over with." snarked a blue haired teenager with horn rimmed glasses.

He was the last remaining suitor of the twenty that had come in the last few days. He had battled and won, or simply out lasted the others in desire to be here.

In short, he was the best of the worst the local area had to offer as far as tamers go. The moderately reasonable tamers would show up, be turned away and leave dissappointed but with little fuss.

The others had stuck around like obsessed stalkers waiting to see if Rei would step out of the shrine and far enough away from the sanctuary grounds to be able to capture her. Mr. blue hair was the last of those left, but some of them would be returning soon.

Spending a week, two in some cases, in the area with no toilet facilities and with dwindling food had sent several of them back for supplies. The others had been challenged and forced to leave.

"How dare you talk about me like that you pervert!" snapped Rei as she stepped out onto the porch in defiant annoyance.

"Rei! Get back in the house! You know it's dangerous to be out here!" exclaimed grandpa. Usually a half dozen pokeballs would be flying already.

"No! I'm getting tired of all these idiots! This is a shrine, don't you have any decency!" snapped the irate girl, first to her grandfather and then to the blue menace.

"Decency? What's that?" he asked quizically before he began to idily pick his nose.

"Oh god.." murmured the girl when he wiped a booger on the porch column.

Cale snorted at her and shook his head. "Look bitch we haven't got all year. Just come down here so we can capture you. No one else is left, and we're not going to wait forever. Our dad's with the league, soon your little sanctuary ruling will be overturned and we can get you legally anyway."

"The hell you will! All shrines have permanent sanctuary for human and pokegirl alike! It's been that way for over two hundred years!"

"Oh, you think so? Well, you forget that whole part about feral pokegirls. Remember that hmm? You know.. any feral pokegirl deemed a threat to the populous and all that? Even without our dad we could come claim you as soon as you go feral. Who's gonna tame you? Gramps?" remarked the young man with slow, snide, deliberate words.

Rei frowned cutely and her ears folded back as a wave of sadness tickled through her. He was right as much as she hated to admit it. She had a few more days at best before her growing needs over took her.

As it stood there was only the blue haired freak, grandpa, or the new guy Jed. None of them were that appealing a prospect. Hell, Jed was cute enough but he creeped her out for some reason.

"I..I.. my fiance!" she exclaimed as she grasped at any idea she could come up with. Sure, he was several days later than he was supposed to be, but he should be here soon right? Not that she was looking forward to yet another suitor.

Grandpa blinked at her as she refered to the fiance she'd been adamantly refusing to discuss for the last few days.

"Fiance? Oh please, who'd marry some catslut like you? Your boobs are alright, but really we could find one just like you in any alleyway back in Oldtowne." cackled blue.

"He's a knight of the league!" snapped Rei, in self-conscious defense.

Blue hair blinked at her and then started to bray out in a loud annoying laugh. "Yeah right! Why would a knight want a common catgirl? You damn things are everywhere. Just the other day we saw one begging for scraps outside a restaurant."

"If that's so then why do you keep bothering me you ass!" she snapped hatefully.

The teenager shrugged and said, "Nothing better to do really. Besides, maybe we like taking uppity pokegirls down a peg? Hmm? Perhaps we get off on dominating stuck up bitches like you, that think to much of themselves. Yes?"

"Just go away!" she snapped again before swirling around in a righteous fury with her hair arcing nicely. The raven haired girl couldn't stomach talking to him anymore but did say one thing before she slammed the shrine door. "When my fiance gets here you'll see!"

Grandpa blinked at her but wasn't able to see the look in her eyes. He was surprised at how eager she seemed to meet Scott but he didn'y realize the girl was just saving face.

The words of her tormentor had been true. Why would some high ranking Knight want to marry a mere catgirl? Hell most tamers only took her type along on the off-chance they might evolve into something more useful. She was as common as they came.

The only thing out of the ordinary that she had going for her was an exceptionally strong talent for foresight. All the metaphysical training her grandfather and mother had put her through had increased her psychic abilities greatly but she was still just a catgirl after all.

Never mind the fact that she wasn't really looking to get married! She'd just turned eighteen a little over a week ago. There was a lot more of life left to live before settling down. If she'd avoided thresholding then maybe she could have enjoyed being a human teenager a while longer.

"Heh, crazy catgirl. She really thinks some knight in shining armor is gonna rescue her from the big bad tamer." snickered Cale as they turned away to walk toward the stairs. Maybe her supposed fiance would show up today. If so they'd handle that shit just like all the others.

.....

Scott mumbled in his as a strange scenario opened before his inner eyes. The landscape of his dreams was a bizare nightmare land with strange twisted trees made of onyx and lakes of fire. All around him screamed the tortured and the damned.

The strangest thing about the place, however, was how at home he felt. It was like all this terror and pain was an illusion. A thing to frighten small children.

He nodded amiably to a red skinned demon with a pitchfork as it stuck the dull points into the ass of an overfed man in a tattered business suit. It was strange but he accepted it readily.

All over the place he could see mystical symbols such as the pentacle, the true swastika prior to the nazi perversion of that ancient healing symbol, and even a few crosses. He crossed a bridge that seemed to be made of rainbow colored glass with demonic skulls attached to the railings.

Before him stood a large onyx castle with gigantic batwings flaring out behind it. The whole thing had the heavy metal pin-up vibe to it that made him feel at ease somehow.

There was pain and terror here but it wasn't the torture of the innocent. The people he saw being thrown into the burning depths gave off the feel of true evil to him. He could somehow sense the emptiness in their souls where there humanity should be and he just didn't feel the urge to help them that he normally would. If anything the horrible looking demons felt more human than the people they were tormenting.

Scott crossed the bridge and stood before the black metal gates with the human skull door knockers and found himself bolding knocking. The gates creaked open ominously and a dark fog rolled out giving the place a heavy metal music video look.

Beyond the entrance was a large audience chamber and a grand stairway. The entire area had a blue and grey cast to it. The throne at the top, however, was a vibrant black set against a backdrop of dancing flames.

Upon this throne surrounded by human and demon skulls sat a man with long hair, wearing a blood red leather vest and midnight black leather pants. In his hand was a golden chalice. This ominous figure had an evil but amused look on his face.

Scott blinked as he finally recognized who it was and then blurted out, "Holy shit! Dio?"

The man laughed out darkly and stood up from his throne before throwing his chalice aside.

"I've heard you calling in the dark...." sang out the dream image of Ronnie James Dio with his quintessential heavy metal voice.

"Uh.." started Scott as the reality of the scenario continued to expand upon him. He was in a demonic castle being visited by Dio. It had to be a dream but this was the coolest shit he'd ever seen.

"I heard you brave young soldier.. you are hungry for the rock." sang out Dio as he started to take well staged steps down the stairway toward Scott.

"Uh.. you know i'm not Jack Black right?" asked Scott in a suddenly nervous tone. He really didn't have time to start a metal band, chase after satan's teeth, or make a few somewhat funny movies right now. What with the world being at stake and all. Plus he had way too much taming to do. Always the taming!

Dio laughed at him and shook his head before before singing out, "True.. but to continue on your path, secret doors... you must unlock..!"

Scott blinked and found himself at a loss for words as Dio suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"Call on me.. when your lost inside the dark. Use my power ... go my son and.. ROOOOOCK!" sang out the dream image of one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time before all went black for the man.

He awoke with a start not long after and sighed. He'd fallen asleep on the bus after the fight with those damn harpies. A few hours ride from Oldtowne a small flock of feral harpies had attacked the bus and destroyed the engine.

It had taken the combined efforts of Scott, the girls, and Aaron to fend them off but there had still been casualties. Jayce's peekabu had been badly injured as well as several other pokegirls. Most of the human riders at least had escaped unharmed but the bus had been totalled.

"Another weird dream?" muttered Scott as he sat up straight. What was with this world and his crazy dreams? It had been a cool tenacious D flavored scenario, but really what was the point?

"Sir Scott? Do you wish to continue waiting here for another bus?" asked Aaron curiously. The replacement bus was supposed to be here shortly but they had no way of knowing how much longer it would take.

"No.. let's just go man. We could have been there faster walking! Why the hell did I think a bus ride would be worth the effort in the first place?"

Aaron nodded. This was true. If the bus had taken a direct route they would have gotten to the shrine the same day they left. Sadly, it had not.

Scott and Aaron got off the bus and told the driver they were leaving. He tried to stop them at first since he was responsible for his passengers. When they showed him their documentation as knights of the league he nodded quickly and stepped aside.

To be honest he was simply surprised that such high ranking individuals would ride a public bus. Didn't they have limousines or private zepplins or something?

The girls were released in a flash of light and they looked around expectantly.

"Um.. this isn't the shrine is it?" asked Serena curiously.

Scott shook his head. "No, we have a good day's walk ahead of us. I'm tired of waiting for the bus."

A few groans of despair were heard but no one complained 'much' beyond that.

"Well it is good exercise." said Luna placatingly. Artemis snorted at her and said, "You say that now.."

The black cat stared at him curiously a moment and then lifted her tail imperiously before trotting toward the road. What was a little walking after all?

The group set off at a steady pace toward their goal. Six hot and boring hours later they reached old town bordering on dusk. When Scott happened to glance behind them to see a bus with the same company logo as the one they'd left behind coming up on them in its slow methodical manner.

"Well, damn." he said tiredly. The others looked at him with annoyance that quickly dissolved into laughter as his own electronic giggles could be heard loud and clear.

"Ah well." said Aaron without any semblence of exhaustion. The man could literally walk for days without much issue. There was something to be said for having a master's knowledge of magic and regenerative powers.

"Uhm.. master.. mind if we stop for something to eat?" asked Makoto hopefully. The others glanced expectantly at Scott and he nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Might need to stop here for the night anyway, unless you're all willing to push on in the dark?" asked the man. He'd be good eitherway. Another night before he had to meet his possible future wife was fine. On the other hand he had good reason to want to see whether she was who he suspected.

They all voted for a good night's rest so he went along with it. Technically he was in charge but he really didn't feel it necessary to pull rank unless he had to. They weren't just a battle team, they were a family.

....

Meanwhile during Scott and company's walk toward town..

"Look, I keep telling you people.. there's no bus here!" exclaimed Rei from the porch with her tail lashing angrily. This was the fifth time in the last few days that someone had claimed a random friend or relative had disappeared around the shrine or took a bus that never arrived.

An understandly irate older man shouted at her, "My daughter messaged me just before she got on the bus here! It never arrived in town!"

Several other people joined in with similar complaints which continued to cause the raven haired catgirl to have anxiety issues. A soft but displeased mew came from her throat as her only two friends fluttered down from the top of the shrine to land on her shoulders.

They'd been her only source of comfort in the last week or so. Only their friendship had kept her from eating them, however. The feline in her was very interested in eating crow.

"Look girl, get your master out here so he can talk to us!" snapped a matronly woman with a high hair-do and a big motherly ass.

Rei started to snap out something angrily to them but Cale spoke up and said, "Yeah what do you want?"

"You her master? I wanna know where my daughter is!" snapped the middle aged man.

"Yeah, we are. As for your daughter we don't know. Maybe she ran off with some guy." snorted Cale.

"What how dare you..! No wonder this pokegirl is so rude!"

"He is not my master! Now everyone calm down and maybe we can figure this out!" exclaimed the catgirl.

"Oh stop pretending you slut. You know we'll be your master soon enough..and who gives a fuck about a bunch of lost idiots." snipped Cale.

"What!" snapped the woman with the overly sized glutious maximus. "How can you say something like that!"

"We open our mouth and words come out." commented the man.

"W..well.. I never!" gasped the woman.

Cale shrugged at her and yawned. "Look can you rubes keep it down we're trying to sleep. We've been up all night taming and would like to rest, so just go away."

"I'm not leaving without my daughter!" snapped the man.

Cale rolled his eyes and walked off toward where he'd set up camp near the shrine steps. He could see any newcomers that way.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea where she is! We get a ton of visitors everyday and there is no shrine bus." explained Rei with as much decorum as she could muster. It had been a very trying day.

"Miss Rei, your tea is ready." announced the soft spoken shrine assistant Jed. His short blond hair was impeccably combed and his robes were clean and seemed entirely normal and professional. However, he continued to give off an unsettling vibe to Rei.

The unnerving man's sudden appearance gave her a start and the two angry parents were also at a loss for words as they felt a bone deep need to simply leave. Something about the guy just seemed off to them. It was akin to what a bunnygirl must feel when a feral lupina howls nearby.

"Thank you, Jed." she answered him in a strained tone. The man smirked at the people from his position. Rei couldn't see him, but it was an expression that set the couple's neck hair on edge.

The two disturbed parents blinked as though a heavy fog had come over their vision and then made their excuses to leave. There were promises of a complaint to the local police as they walked away but they seemed distracted and sluggish as though their energy had suddenly disappeared.

Life continued at the shrine that day. People came and went with no sign of this phantom bus Rei kept hearing about. Later that evening Grandpa told her that her great grandfather was coming in the morning with her possible fiance.

The girl just nodded tiredly at him and went off to shower and go to bed. She was feeling very drained for reasons unknown to her. As she passed by the room Jed was staying in she felt an unearthly chill and saw him gazing out of the open door at her with a feral gleam in his eyes.

She blinked and then got another look at him. His expression was entirely normal this time and he even managed a reasonably cute smile. She was obviously seeing things she told herself as she continued on with her nightly ritual.

Jed's visage quirked into another cold smile as he sat in his room gazing into the mirror over his desk. Had Rei gone inside she would have found something far different that his reflection gazing back at him.

The next day, around mid-morning...

"Finally!" exclaimed Serena as she dropped down from the air next to Scott. The shrine steps were before them and she was ever so tired of flying. She needed her quality time near her master as much as anyone.

"What are you complaining about! You flew ahead and sat down every chance you got!" snipped Luna as she padded along in exhustion. She may be a magical talking cat but she'd never been that active even back in the moon kingdom. All this walking was definitely not for her. Worse yet, no one would carry her! Minako, and sometimes Scott, carried Artemis. The whole situation was simply unfair.

The white mooncat looked down from Minako's Shoulder and tried his best not to laugh. He'd warned her after all.

"We're here at least. That's all I care about." said Makoto with a yawn. The walk had been long and vaugely boring. She'd gotten used to constant action and snuggling. Sadly, neither was happening right now and it had her considering a nap.

Ryoko glanced up the stairs while the others jabbered and said aloud, "Hey, looks like we're not the only ones here.."

The group looked at her then up to the top of the stairs to see a blue haired teenager with horn rimmed glasses smirking down at them. He had his arms crossed imperiously and the look of someone with total confidence.

"Hey, would you mind moving over? We need to get through." asked Scott as politely as possible. The guy was standing dead center of the stairs and seemed to have every intention of staying

"We, have no intention of moving. This place is ours." informed the blue haired teen.

Aaron frowned at him and said, "This is my family's shrine young man! Now remove yourself."

Cale snorted down at him and shook his head. "When that bitch goes feral we'll take her and the place with her. That's how it works right? These things are handed down through the family right?"

Aaron was about to unleash a major tongue lashing and possible bodily harm on the snotty teen but Scott moved to put his arm in front of the man.

The much older knight looked over askance at his younger somewhat protege and saw that he was looking up at the foul mouthed obstacle before them. With a formality he rarely seemed to show Scott said, "Allow me Sir Aaron. I can't abide the idea of this guy anywhere near Rei."

The thought that this young knight might very well be a member of his family soon entered Aaron's mind and he nodded. It would be his place to defend the honor of his great granddaughter if everything worked out anyway.

"Heh, so you're the knight the slut was talking about? Whatever, we are not impressed." informed Cale.

Scott grunted at the young man and not for the first time did he wonder at the way many of the tamers in this world acted. He'd met only about twenty personally but at least half of them treated their girls like simple minded beasts or sextoys. He'd run across only two that he'd admit to knowing in public.

"I'm not asking you again. You will move." said Scott as he brought his sword up. The others were getting ready for a fight too, weapons and fists coming up. Even Artemis seemed to be taking up some sort of kitty battle stance.

"Make us?" sniggered the azure follicled youth before pulling out a pokeball and idily tossing it in the air before catching it.

The black armored man frowned inside his helmet and asked, "What? You want some kind of pokegirl battle?"

"Oh look at how smart he is. He picked up on that all by himself!" cooed the blue haired turd atop the stairs.

Scott started forward sword at the ready but Cale snorted and called out, "You plannin to fight us without a pokegirl! Damn you really are stupid. Ivanka we screw you!"

The ball flew forward and a black leather clad domina appeared as the red light that erupted outward from it winked out of existence.

The black armored man made a move forward toward the domina but Minako jumped in front of him and exclaimed, "Wait! Let me handle her master!"

Scott blinked and took at good look at his alpha before nodding his head. She was definitely dressed right for battling a domina, what with her red leather suit and chain whip.

"You're the best!" she said with a wink before bounding up a few of the stairs and taking up a fighting stance.

"Ohoho.. you tink you can vight me vith a vhip? You pretender!" crowed Ivanka as she snapped her whip around in excitement.

"Make her bleed for us my pet." said her master from up above.

Ivanka smirked and then with lightning speed sent her whip out in a powerful lashing strike that should have ensnared Minako's leg and left her flat on her ass. Unfortunately for the slightly higher level domina Scott's blond alpha had been training long and hard for battles against supposedly superior opponents.

The domina had a level advantage but a super youma she was not. Minako lept over that whip and lashed out with her own in midair. The hook easily tagged the surprised pokegirl in the gut and sent her staggering back to fall over the next stair up. She landed hard on her pert and bouncy posterior with a whuff of air exploding from her surprised lungs.

"Vhat?!" exclaimed Ivanka in shock as she found her attack so easily countered. Minako winked at her and arrogantly twirled her chain in her hand. "Guess it was a good idea for me to spend more time working with my whip than learning a fake accent."

"I vill make you beg!" snapped Ivanka. The pokegirl got serious then and the fight went up a notch. The domina, despite her bravado, wasn't that much harder to deal with however. Minako had developed a great deal technique wise since her early days as a fighter and with the addition of hydra whip and catapult hell into her arsenal she was a very difficult opponent to get within striking distance of.

Ivanka for all her natural whip affinity just did not have what it took to defeat an oppononet who routinely fought creatures that would make anything short of a neo-legendary shudder.

Less than three minutes passed as the two girls whirled and slashed at each other before Ivanka dropped to one knee, bleeding from dozens of light gashes. Her leather bodice was a torn wreck and sweat was pouring from her exhausted body.

Minako had a few minor bruises and a serious tear along the leather of her forearm bracer, but was otherwise unharmed.

"I..I fight on.. you vill beg me.. " babbled the domina with no real sense of reality left. She stubbornly tried to get to her feet but her master called out. "Useless bitch. We should have traded you off for that pidgy we saw last week."

"But master!" squawked the pokegirl in shock and fear. Even in defeat she was surely better than a half starved pidgy!

"Shut up and return. We'll handle this ourselves!"

The girl disappeared into the red beam of light with a terrified look on her face before returning to her ball.

Scott couldn't contain himself any longer and finally asked the blue haired turd monkey, figuratively speaking, "What's with all this we crap anyway? You got a titmouse in your pocket?"

Minako grinned back at him amidst her light sheen of perspiration and artfully disarrayed locks. How Scott could ignore that while discussing the blue haired guy using the royal 'we' was anyone's guess. I mean, I'm writing this crap fest and i'd totally wreck that chick. She'd be all bent over and squealing "Aye Papiiii", in that way I think she has.. and that giggle.. oh man.. totally... uh well.. Ahem.

Anyway..

Cale answered, "Hmm.. we suppose we should answer the little tin man." before he seemed to disappear inside an inky black liquid that erupted around him.

Scott blanched involuntarily inside his armor while the others gasped aloud.

Aaron asked neutrally, "A parasyte?" with that quirked eyebrow thingy he does.

"Ah, you recognize what you're in for. How do you feel knowing what we have in store for you!" laughed the parasyte.

Scott blinked as a bit of trivia from back home made itself apparent to him. "You're a chick!"

The others stared at him for a second before Cale's laughter echoed down the stairway.

"So, someone finally figured us out? Who cares about that bit of flesh anyway? Someone like you couldn't possibly understand the power.. the power we possess now!" cackled the deranged sounding man, er woman.. uh.. Cale?

"Um.. basically you're not quite as strong as an ingenue? I mean.. if you were a dude before.. then you'd be what? Twice as strong as a normal human chick or something?" asked Scott with his electronically enhanced voice.

"It daress mock uss.. but it's alright.. yesss alright. It doessn't know the truth.. no it doessn't, ..yet." answered Cale with her speech pattern slipping into a sibiliant semi-hissing sound. Despite the calm seeming tone rage was evident in the creatures eyes as the mouth began to elongate.

"Oh please.." began Scott as he began to power up to perform his firey spell, prepare for war. He remembered this things weaknesses fairly well, considering he was also a spiderman fan.

Cale's eyes enlarged comically as her lips erupted sideways in a macabre parody of a smile.

"Begging already.. yess.. too bad for it.. we won't accept it'ss pleading. Ssoon.. too sssoon."

Scott ignored the parasyte's bravado and let the word's to his spell come to his lips. He'd take this thing out before it even stopped babbling. How strong could it be anyway right?

"Do you ever shut up?" asked Ryoko as she hefted her wooden sword. She wanted so much to run forward and simply take the crazy bitch out. It's constant yammering was annoying.

"They mock uss.. yess.. but we have a sssecret.. yess a sssecret!" chortled the thing before them, its shock of bright blue hair still evident despite the rest of it being a shiny black color.

"I thought that part fell off or something?" asked Serena curiously. She was reasonably certain they'd figured that out earlier. "Oh you know, once a guy, now a chick, like oh my god he lost his dick?"

"Dude.. wasn't that like a haiku or something!" called out Scott in awe as his concentration slipped ruining his spell. Serena of all people talked like that? She was a freaking angel for crying out loud!

"Um.." she began. She was ditzy as ever apparently. Still, it was probably the wittiest thing she'd said in days.

"Sounds like one.. sort of?" questioned Ryoko.

"Aren't they like poems? It kinda rhymed, so maybe?" answered Makoto with a question of her own.

"Uh.. Haiku don't have to rhyme I think?" asked Minako. She wasn't sure about that but thought it might be true.

"Oh?" asked Makoto curiously.

Aaron nodded at Scott then and said. "Well it did have seventeen syllables, If I count correctly."

As a group they seemed to ponder whether the angel pokegirl's words were indeed a haiku for a moment.

Then they burst out with joviality at Serena's deer in the headlights look. This was especially true of Makoto since she had the most connection with Jove.

For those who misunderstand; they laughed their asses off. Not entirely off mind you. They still remained attached to their posteriors but the group did burn off a few calories at least.

"They laugh at uss.. sso be it.. we'll jusst have to.. let the MONSSTER OUT!" snapped Cale as the five foot six parasyte suddenly enlarged into a twelve foot tall monstrosity with too skinny legs, knobby knees and long grasping arms. The oversized beast had a barrel chest as wide as Scott was tall and looked like it could easily crush a man into a fine meat paste with little effort.

"Oh shit!" snapped Scott as he lost his customary cool. No wonder the blue haired freak had been so confident. It had a monster out blood gift before he became a she!

He started trying to regrasp his fading magical energies as the creature roared out and started hopping down the massive stone stairway.

The man never even came close to finishing his spell as a wave of fire erupted from Aaron's direction to collide heavily with the monstered out parasyte. The inky black symbiote screamed in agony and flew backward away from the hated flame.

Without its protective cellular realigning and mutational abilities the creature Cale became was revealed to have floppy tits, hairy legs, and the knobbiest knees anyone ever saw. Basically, she looked like a twelve foot skinny old grandma with an overabundance of hair.

Granny screamed in sympathetic pain but was shut up quickly as several other attacks collided with her only a good second after the fire touched symbiotic flesh. A chakram slammed into a knobby knee causing her to begin rolling forward, and heart-linked golden chain wrapped around her arm before tugging her sideways to finish off the motion.

Granny Cale fell forward heavily to slam against the stairs and began tumbling down in a shrieking jumble of pain and confusion.

The massive creature's flap jack tits occasionally hit the stairs before the body. She gave off a slapping sound that was vaugely reminiscent of a flat tire.

A glowing afterimage of chi passed up the stairs to hit the rolling granny causing the oversized critter to slam sideways awkwardly and come to a halt.

It started to get to its hands and knees but the word "Sleep" emanated from Aaron's direction. A green cloud of energy arose around the struggling form before turning into a phantom image of a pasture with a sheep jumping over a fence.

When it dissipated the monstered out parasyte collapsed to the stairs and promptly started to snore. The inky black symbiote began to try and crawl away but it was far too slow to escape.

A chain whip, a chakram, and another chi strike struck it simultaneously. Neither did any more real damge than the chunk of brick that came flying at it with the speed of a cannonball courtesy of makoto.

Aaron's next flaming wave of energy collided with it, though, causing it to bubble and boil. A few seconds later it shriveled up into a tiny blob of flaming debris and burned to ashes.

Scott muttered slightly about how they could have saved some for him and the others shared a relieved laugh.

"Aw! Poor master!" chirped Minako with a wink.

Artemis shook his little kitty head at their antics and unleashed a relieved sigh of his own. These people were crazy, but at least things had gone alright for once. No one was even going to the hospital.

"We can't help the whole team work thing master! Your style is amazing!" exclaimed Ryoko with a giddy bounce and a happy smile.

"Uh.. yeah!" chimed in Makoto since she wasn't sure what to add to that.

Serena raised one finger, though, and said, "Guess we really don't like transforming monsters."

They all looked at her in mild shock as the fact that she'd come up with something else useful and observant again that day tried to worm its way into their minds. Serena was really sweet, but normally she was also a ditzy flake.

'Maybe a little of that neo-queen serenity inside her is starting to show? It's a little earlier, but it's not right for me to be surprised at the fact that she isn't an idiot.' Thought Scott to himself.

He should really try to nurture her observant and thoughtful nature. To be honest they'd need her to get as strong as she could. So far all he'd really done is tame them and train them.

Scott took a good look at his little family now, one at a time, as they laughed on the stairway and really noticed them. Each was so familiar, yet, so different.

What he knew of them from their respective animes was a narrow fiction. The complex individuals before him were real people. They had wants, desires, dreams.

Each of these people, he included the cats and Aaron in his thoughts, had their own goals and ambitions. Why had he not focused on that earlier.

In truth, he barely knew any of them. He had talked with each of them a bit, but how often had he really spent time getting to know their innermost selves.

These laughing happy people. They deserved more than a master, or a protege. Hell, Serena was supposed to be the leader anyway. They needed a real friend.

Scott frowned at himself inside his helmet before Minako came up and leaned against him in the manner she often did. She was his alpha, his first pokegirl, and someone that he in younger lonelier days had had a fanboy crush on.

He used to watch sailormoon and see the anime version of this very girl go through a lot of boy related heartache because she never seemed to find one truly interested in her despite all she had to offer.

Hell, he had the same sort of little faux crushes on all the senshi to be honest. The anime versions were woefully underage, but here he was actually living a life where they were real and needed him.

The more he thought about that, the more his old misgivings began to creep in. Just how HAD he really gotten here anyway?

Yes, there was the light in the forest but what caused it? The ginzuishou could easily do it, but not the crystal prism. That thing pretty much just allowed Serena to transform into sailormoon.

Stranger still, what was with his crazy heavy metal bastard style powers and all the highly unlikely coincidences? He could use spells and abilities similar to something out of the bastard universe and even had Arshes Nei floating about somewhere like a stalker. He half suspected she had a shrine to him somewhere complete with a bad photo, chicken wire, and black candles. It was like he was stuck inside a badly scripted fanfiction that he had been writing or something.

So much didn't make sense. Where was Darien, or Mamoru, if you will? Were there really negaverse generals or were these youma things just good copies?

Then there was the pokegirl stuff. In the fiction you couldn't go five minutes into a story without someone evolving into something. Despite his girls all being in their twenties level wise none had evolved yet. Hell Serena and Minako were bordering on thirty soon.

It was baffling to him how it hadn't occured yet. He had held a vague assumption that their senshi transformations might have something to do with that. However, what of Ryoko? At her level she should have evolved. She certainly wasn't a senshi. Not to his knowledge anyway.

Scott stood there for several minutes in contemplation as the girls chatted amiably. It took him a moment to realize someone was talking to him before he looked down to see Artemis looking up at him curiously.

He got along really well with mr. fuzzybutt for some reason now. At first the white cat had been standoffish but over recent weeks they had grown on each other.

"You alright?" asked the cat quietly.

Scott nodded at him slowly but said, "Can we talk alone later?"

The cat bobbed his head at him in imitation of a nod. Whatever Scott had to say it was probably important.

The storm trooperesque man sighed digitally and turned toward his friends before saying, "Guess its time to get going."

The girls frowned a little as the thought processed. They had forgotten all about why they were here.

Aaron smiled tiredly at him before sheathing his sword. He hadn't seen his son in about a year. He at least was looking forward to this.

With confusion in their hearts the group turned up the stairs and stepped forward into the future.

.....

Rei sighed heavily in her room as she sat on her bed. Her eyes were set flat against her hair as she looked down at her as yet unringed finger. A little over a week had passed since she thresholded. For her it had started out as a nightmare and ended as a walking fog that never seemed to lift from her mind.

She went through the motions every day, but at night when she was alone in her room things came to her mind that she tended to avoid during the day. Thoughts of her future and how her life was slipping away.

Everything she had ever wanted and dreamed was dying all around her. Soon, one way or another, she would simply be someone's personal property. Right now, she pretended to be a shrine maiden, but really she was just a catgirl with delusions of humanity.

Her grandfather still treated her with the same respect he had his own daughter, but everyone else saw her as a tradeable commodity.

Till about ten days ago she had been training to take over the shrine, and even attended a public school despite the distance between the shrine and the town. A local teacher had come to pick her and a few more of the rural teenagers up. She had been two months away from graduating highschool when three days after her birthday she began to threshold.

She looked over at her keyboard and the small mountain of songs she had written to while away the lonely hours. Most of them were lonely songs where a young girl searches for love.

Rei, sighed softly as twin sets of liquid pain fled from her eyes in soft rivulet that traced the curve of her beautiful cheeks to plop from her chin onto her still unringed hands.

Would she ever know love now? At best someone like her could hope to find a reasonably nice tamer that would allow her to keep her memories. She was almost deathly afraid of a level five taming cycle. She'd already lost her physical humanity. The idea of losing her mind was terrifying.

In front of others she tried her best to seem strong and stable, but in the darkness of her room she was just a little girl again. The world was too big and her place in it had suddenly become smaller than even she'd believed previously.

The catgirl reached over and gently lifted a picture of her mother in the traditional robes of a shrine priestess. She had followed the long line of shrine maidens and priestesses of her family lineage but her daughter had somehow found herself in the body of a catgirl.

Her father had been born with a few feline related bloodgifts due to his heritage. Strangely these had won out over the normally dominant shrine maiden genes of her mothers line.

For over two hundred and thirty years the women of her family had either been human shrine maidens, or the pokegirl version. She had broken that lineage, despite having all the training of one.

"Momma.." she whispered softly in the dark as she hugged her mother's picture to herself.

It was only here in her cold empty room that the girl could break down the shell of haughty self possession she'd had to maintain all her life and simply be a young woman on the verge of a strange new life.

Humanity gone, no friends to speak of, and no prospects beyond the possibility of a guy that her granpy Aaron was bringing by.

Her face shifted from depression to anger and back again as the emotions warred within her. She didn't want a tamer or a husband! She just wanted all this to go away!

Rei crushed her mother's picture to her chest for a short while as the angry, bitter, tears fell like a salty rain upon the back of it. She'd warp the wood at this rate but she didn't think to care. At a time like this a girl needed her mother.

What if she and the guy hit it off, right? Shouldn't her mother be there to fuss over her? Shouldn't she be there to laugh and cry and look happy and miserable all at the same time?

In all honesty Rei did not know what she wanted. Every day it seemed like her mind was slipping further and further. Her emotions were coming harder and faster and her ability to reason seemed to be lessening by the moment.

She was having urges that she never had before and there was no one to explain them to her.

Rei Hino, was utterly alone in a strange alien world. There was no one at all that knew what that was like, not in her world view. Her grandfather tried, but he didn't truly understand what it was like to change so much, so suddenly.

A few minutes later a soft knock came at the door and a gentle voice she recognized as her grandpa. "Rei, your fi.. great grandfather is here."

She smiled through her emotional turmoil at the bumbling way her granpa had tried to lessen the blow and then sighed. "Well momma. Guess.. its time to shine."

Rei dried her tears, collected herself as best she could, then looked into her mirror. She practiced smiling like it was a lost art. The girl wasn't quite sure how it worked anymore since she hadn't had a reason to smile since the change.

She went through the motions a few times till she found something that didn't look like she had been trying too hard and took a deep breath. The smile was on her lips, but she didn't know if one would ever arrive again in her heart.

The catgirl shrine maiden of hickey-wa shrine turned to the door in a flutter of traditional robes and forced herself to stand up straight. This was important and even though they argued sometimes she didn't want to disappoint either of her grandfathers. They were all she had left.

......

Well, that's it for chapter eighteen. I hope it was worth the exceedingly long wait. If anyone was wondering, no I haven't died. I simply had no reasonable way to recover this story since I had limited internet access until recently.

The original drafts were on my old computer and as such I could not even legitimately continue it since all my pokegirl related information was on that too.

So anyway, went to jail, only did four months and five days as opposed to my pseudo-self insert character's six months and simply have dealt with the whole economic crises in the North Carolina job market deally.

I will finish this story, and for those who wonder it isn't even close to done. Heck we haven't even finished the first season yet.

To those few who continued to read this story and review during my long hiatus. I blame you for this chapter. It's all your fault.

....

Name: Scott

Age: 28

Residence: Ophun Research Institute

Region: Indigo league (alternative universe)

Status: Active

Rank: Knight Errant

Security Clearance: B

Adventurer's guild level: 6

Licenses

Guild: Y (Adventurer's)

Standard weapon license: Y

Guild weapon license: Y

Knight weapon license: Y

Class IV A, league weapon license: N

Tamer- N

Breeder- N

Watcher- N

Master Tamer- N

Storage- Y

Active Harem:

Minako: Slicer

Level 27

Makoto: Amazonchan

level 22

Serena: Angel

Level 28

Ryoko: Amazonwu

level 23

Companions:

Artemis: White moon Cat

level: N/A

Luna: Black Moon Cat

level: N/A

Arshes Nei: Half Dark Elf Sorcerer Knight, and one of the four lord's of Havoc. Except not the Havoc that got killed just a minute ago.

level: Whatever it is, it's fuckin high baby! (N/A)

Aaron: Human (longevity, magic affinity) blood gifts

Level: N/A (Knight Lord and leader of the Oldtowne Adventurer's Guild.)

Recently slain major villains:

none

Recently slain minor villains:

Henry, (the wolf youma Havoc) 


	19. Chapter 19

In a dark room, lit only by the soft glow of a floating sphere sat a woman with crimson hair and burning red eyes. Beautiful she might have been known as once, but now that had faded in a look of severity and hate.

Upon her dark throne the queen of the dark kingdom, the negaverse if you will, called out imperiously, "Jedite! Report!"

The blond man appeared suddenly before her on his knees, his grey uniform crisp and professional as always. He did not dare raise his eyes as he knew that her summons could not bode well for him.

"I am here queen Beryl." he stated simply, with his eyes facing the floor.

The ruler of the negaverse snorted in distaste and said, "It's about time, you haven't reported in days. However, i've noticed several things I want answers for."

He knew better than to actually ask her what those things were. Long ago the generals had learned to never question their queen even if only to ask what she wanted.

"You've brought in energy steadily, but whenever you do you squander your portion on schemes that ultimately fail. This concerns me a little.. how could these foolish humans defeat your 'super youma.' Most of them are far stronger than even the warriors we had in the war." asked the queen with a quirk of her blood red eyebrow.

"They have powerful beasts they use to fight for them. Pokegirls as they are called here and as you have been informed. Most are useless against us, but some have powerful magic that can damage the weaker of our youma." explained the general as he attempted not to perspire in her presense. She hated the smell of sweat even if she loved the knowledge that she inspired such fear in others.

"Damage them.. Jedite.. my dear Jedite.. you've squandered nearly all the energy I could spare on you and both of your little creations have fallen. The regular youma draw less life force but they at least operate longer. All these failures have accomplished is wasting our time, unless you can show some true results." said the queen evenly. Her rage was building with each word, but she would not explode yet. No, not quite yet. Jedite was a useful tool, even if his recent failures were starting to lessen his value.

"My queen.... The super youma are far stronger than our old warriors. I shall achieve the results you require." stated Jedite as neutrally as he could. He'd literally be staking his life on this.

"You had best do so. I will not tolerate further failure." informed Beryl as she pierced him with her gaze. At moments like this the true power that influenced her mind could be seen shining malevolently. It really creeped people out.

"Yes, my queen."

"What of your latest scheme?" she inquired then with a surprising calm. Her voice was soft with a dangerous edge.

"It goes well my queen. We now have over a dozen captive humans, and twice as many of these 'pokegirls' of theirs. Their energy is draining steadily." he'd devised the draining process himself. While the humans slept in their crystal prisons they could slowly be drained of energy over the course of a few weeks. They could ring them for every last drop of life in them.

"And no one suspects?" she asked him doubtfully. The humans in the courage age seemed idiotic and overly sexed, but they weren't blind.

"Of course they suspect something to be wrong and the missing humans are not unnoticed. However, no one suspects we are behind it." he stated confidently. How could anyone know? His plan was fool proof. At least until people stopped coming to that rediculous shrine.

"Hmm.. very well then. report again in three days. Dismissed."

Jedite faded out and once again the queen was alone in the darkness of her throne room. She was always alone...always.

-----

Chapter 19: Coincidental Understandings

-----

The moon hung large and bright in the midnight sky as Scott leanead against the chimney of the hickey-wa shrine. Atop the roof he could see the stars so clearly and as his breath misted with each exhalation he mentally recalled all the events of the last year of his life.

Each time the memories came to him clear as crystal. His mind had become like a computer for information retention and even memories of his early childhood were perfect in clarity. A side effect of whatever agency was enhancing his biology perhaps, he couldn't help but miss the ability to forget sometimes as he went over the look of pain on the faces of his comrade's during a particular hard fought battle.

A few minutes later a soft scratching could be heard as Artemis found his way to the rooftop. The appointed hour had come and the two had much to discuss.

In a quiet voice Artemis said, "So, what's up?" to the man as he sat down near him. This whole clandestine meeting stuff had gotten him curious.

Scott sighed lightly and shook his head. "When you look up there what do you see?" he asked the cat quietly while pointing at the moon.

Artemis winced as visibly as any cat could and hung his head a bit. "I don't like to look at it..."

The man nodded to him and grew quiet again for a moment as the chill night air at this altitude continued to gro steadily cooler. It wouldn't get down to below freezing tonight, but it was definitely cooler than the low lying verdant falls had been, despite being farther south.

"The past is gone and can only be reclaimed in memory right? Not entirely true I guess, if you use magic, but that doesn't change the point for normal people." asked Scott lightly as he waxed poetic and philosophical.

"Yeah.." agreed the cat as his tail whisked in agitation. He wished Scott would get on with what he wanted to talk about. Even with fur it was getting a bit nippy out.

"I hate to dredge up painful memories for you, but we need to talk about it. My knowledge is haphazard and based on fiction. Whatever you know might help a bit." admitted Scott finally. As yet he had never gone into major detail about how he knew the things he did. Everyone was aware of the whole anime is real thing he had from his home world, but he hadn't volunteered too much specific information about the particular show of most import.

"Yeah! You said once that everything you know you learned on a tv show.. but that's a bit hard to believe." exclaimed the cat suspiciously. It just didn't make sense in reality, thought the talking cat that had lived on the moon ten thousand years ago.

Scott barked out a harsh laugh and then shook his head in frustration at that obvious understatement. "You're telling ME that? Last year all this.. everything about where I am, was fiction. It was just some cool place to daydream about between looking for odd jobs or army work. Now i'm living in a place where the everyday thing would be considered impossible back home."

He took out Serena's pokeball and showed it to the cat. "I have a girl, who used to be a warrior of love and justice ten thousand years ago inside a red and white ball. She goes from an angel shaped bio-weapon into a sailor suited soldier of love and justice and she lives inside a ball. You want to tell me about reality? I'm always willing to hear about logic and reason from a talking cat that's been in cryostasis for ten millenia."

"Ok.. ok....just.. ok.." replied the cat in an attempt to calm the unusually emotional man down. The whole fiction is real thing was still fishy for the cat, but at least Scott seemed to think the same about it. That should mean something after all.

"Sorry.. I snapped at you, alright? It's just.. I don't know what to do anymore Artemis." admitted Scott apologetically.

"What do you mean?" asked the cat. The black armored man had always seemed to have the right answer for everything so far.

"It's not supposed to be me. Everything seems to be riding on me saying or doing the right thing at the right time and that's not how it's supposed to go." said Scott as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Artemis glanced up at him but didn't say anything. Scott had to be going somewhere with this and it was obvious he needed to get something off his chest.

"It's all, just too coincidental. I mean.. come on. Don't you think?" he asked the cat with a worried look in his eyes. It had been bothering him almost from day one, but in the last few days it had grown more and more in his mind. The sheer happenstance of most of his life in this world was too much to believe.

"Uh.. maybe if you explained it a little I might know what you're talking about?"

Scott nodded again, more to himself than to Artemis. He did glance down and take a good look at the three patches of missing fur on the cat that were only now growing back. He'd been pretty badly injured back in verdant falls. Had he been on Scott's home world the cat would have died. Healing magic didn't exist there or at least not as dynamic as on this world.

"Nearly a year ago I made a little wish looking up at the moon.. I wished I could have found a place where I truly was necessary. A place I could do some real good and find a life worth living." began Scott as he confided in the cat.

Artemis quirked his eyelid as though he had an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Less than an hour later I was traveling through a pathway between my world and this one to try and save Serena from a would be tamer. At the time I didn't know she was a pokegirl. I just saw a jerk attacking a scared girl in the woods." continued Scott as the cat listened attentatively.

"From then on it's been one series of incredible coincidences after another. I found Minako on a road that's well traveled and she becomes the first of the girls in the group. Makoto is 'given' to me by Aaron later on.. come on.. the odds of her even being found much less 'given' to me? Then we just happen to be in place to fight youma, and super youma when they arrive?" confided the man as it began to spill out rapidly.

Artemis was beginning to see what he meant by coincidence. A lot of things had worked out severely in their favor and he was beginning to get suspicious too.

"Think about it.. I found Minako on the road from Oldtowne to the Ophun institute. A road I would not have been on had Analise not come to my prison cell and gathered me up..." confessed Scott.

"So, what do you think is going on?" asked Artemis, truly interested in what the man thought. The picture he painted was definitely a telling one. It seemed like something or someone had been dragging them around by the nose this whole time.

"I came up with four scenarios, but only one of them makes any real sense even if it doesn't quite add up."

"Oh?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, the most obvious one is that none of this is real and I was hit by a car or something back home. I'm in a coma and on the verge of dying..."

"Um.. I kinda think i'm real.. so.." began Artemis. It might make sense to Scott but the cat still twitched a little when he walked so he definitely believed he had been electrocuted for real.

"Yeah, I discount that one too. There's just too much going on for it to be true."

"What else?" asked Artemis.

"I'm a character in a poorly crafted fanfiction, written by a drunken retard with a self hating disposition and too much free time on his hands since no woman in her right mind would ever touch him even a little bit and for money?" asked Scott curiously.

The duo looked at each other then burst out laughing. That was just too absurd to be true.

"Ok.. some wandering diety answered my wish and now they're screwing with my life in an attempt at alleviating boredom.

"Put that one in the maybe pile I guess?" suggested Artemis in a questioning tone. It made more sense than the other two even if the talking cat sometimes felt like a bit of an atheist when it came to various religions. Several times he'd been informed he had no soul since he wasn't human whenever they crossed paths with a random religious nut.

Scott nodded.

"Yeah.. but I think I might know what's going on and it bugs me a little. Mainly because I didn't figure it out sooner." admitted the man with a sigh.

"Oh? You think so?" asked the cat suddenly curious again.

The man nodded and said, "I'm probably going to sound like an idiot but I have to do this...bare with me ok?"

The cat shrugged its kitty shoulders in imitation of the man and bobbed his head up and down in a nod.

Scott cleared his throat. "Sailor Pluto if you don't come out here i'm going to put a cockroach in your hair when you finally show up."

Artemis stared at him stupidly for a second but then he blinked and turned toward the sound of a strangled female voice off to his left. Standing before him was a sailor senshi he didn't quite recall with extremely long green hair. She wielded a large oddly shaped staff.

"You wouldn.t dare.." muttered the woman with a blanche.

The man sighed and shook his head. "You know I would have or you wouldn't have revealed yourself.." To be honest he hadn't been certain he was right and even so, he didn't believe she would show up here.

Pluto frowned at him and then sighed. "Fine.. so you figured it out. Took you long enough."

Scott shrugged. "Well excuse me for not suddenly thinking about it. Don't you normally try to hunt down and kill anything that fucks with the time line?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? You have no idea just what it took to get you here in the first place. I had to do things.."

"Kinky.."

She frowned at him. "You know you haven't changed a bit Nocturne. You're still the same pervert you always were."

"Nocturne..? What the hell are you talking about?" asked Scott.

She smirked a little at the feeling of having a bit of secret knowledge. It was really the only perk of the job. "You'll learn that.. in time.."

"Oh for fucks sake.." sighed the man irritably. The idea that he'd be having a conversation with the lonely guardian of time from the sailor moon anime on top of a roof while having previously been talking to a ten thousand year old cat would have seemed extraordinary only a year ago. Now it was just frustrating.

"Language.. the state of the world has given you a serious potty mouth.. Nocturne."

The man muttered at her then thought about something, "Not that i'm ungrateful for you showing up but how is it that you're away from your time door gate thing?" "I thought you had to stay near that thing."

She sighed sadly. "I can't be gone long. The geas is already drawing me back there.. Nocturne."

"You're really not going to tell me why you keep calling me that?" asked Scott. There were a thousand things he should be asking but he wasn't sure where to start with those.

She smiled softly. A look someone acquires when recalling things from a long ago time in their lives filled her face with nostalgia and her somewhat blank expression softened with the smile into one of a gentle sadness.

"Not yet..you'll figure it out." she said softly. Her voice began to take on a distant quality filled with a mild distortion. The time gate was drawing her back to her post.

Scott's eyes widened as he realized something then, "You've been there all this time.. for real? Ten thousand years?"

She nodded softly as she began to take on a transparent look, like a hologram or a ghost.

"Is there any way to free you from that burden? I mean no one ever uses that gate do they?" he asked her.

Sailor Pluto's eyes began to trail hot salty tears as she said, "No, no one has ever used the gates of time since the testing period at its creation." the distortion became deeper and her voice began to drown out in a manner similar to holding a cordless house phone near a working radio.

"Hey..! When can you come back!" exclaimed Scott as he tried to get through to her.

A crackle as though she were speaking over a damaged walkie talkie was heard to reply, "Moon..crzzkt.. ncess zzkkt sclerrrr.."

Then the lonely guardian of time was once again alone. Her brief interlude with another living creature in ten thousand years had ended. She could continue to screw with the time line from afar but could not actively be a part of it herself.

Artemis' hair had risen straight up not long after she'd arrived and now it was still standing up while he looked at the spot where she had been standing.

"That.. that.. Sailor Pluto!" exclaimed the cat agitatedly.

Scott nodded to the cat before reaching out to calm him with a little light petting. He might be able to talk and help with advice because of that, but he was still a cat. They needed petting.

"Yeah, it was. It wasn't quite the meeting I expected. Still, that solves the problem of coincidence. Now we just have to locate the moon princess and free her of her obligation." said Scott as he calmed the kitty's nerves.

"That.. was Sailor Pluto!" exclaimed the cat again, obviously he was going into mild shock at the idea of her just showing up out of nowhere.

"Yeah, I know. I wish I had asked her something more useful when we had the chance. who knows when she'll be able to pop in again, if ever." admitted Scott.

"Moon Princess?" asked Artemis as his swiss cheeze memory began to filter available was late and he was having difficulty processing in his current mental state.

Scott rubbed him along the back on his neck and scratched behind his ears as he considered what to do next. He really hadn't expected Pluto to show up tonight, but since she had he was kicking himself for not asking anything useful in the few minutes they'd had.

She'd probably known it would throw him to call him Nocturne, whatever that was about. Maybe having too much information about the near future would be a bad thing. It seemed like the kind of thing Setsunna from the anime would do.

"Yeah, she's the only one who can defeat Beryl.. and the negaverse. More than that, she's supposed to be the central rallying point for all the senshi. Not me." said Scott thoughtfully.

How do you manage that when all the senshi, except possibly Pluto, were pokegirls and needed that good lovin that he gave to keep them sane?

"What! You knew that and didn't say anything?! Where is she? We have to find her!" exclaimed the cat excitedly. The hair was rising on his back again.

"We don't find her. She.. will be revealed in time." said Scott cryptically. He didn't want to risk the truth coming out as it might cause the self realization necessary for the 'princess' to arrive not to occur.

"Wha.. are.. you sure? I mean.. if you know where she is.." said the cat suspiciously.

Scott shook his head. "Yeah, trust me if we could just go pick her up I would have done that months ago."

Artemis did an imitation of a frown then bobbed his head. That did make sense after all.

"Hey.. do you know what Pluto was talking about when she called me Nocturne?" asked the man to the cat.

Artemis shook his head back and forth. "No.. I.. don't think. The name makes me remember something about a poster on a wall but I don't know if that has anything to do with anything."

The man nodded. That was something at least.

"You really weren't surprised that Sailor Pluto showed up?" asked the cat curiously. The sudden appearance was still annoying the hell out of him.

Scott sighed quietly and shook his head. "I didn't expect it to happen, but I knew it could."

Artemis bobbed his head thoughtfully before the man continued.

"I was going to ask you about the Moon Kingdom so we could compare notes, but maybe we can do that tomorrow? I'm kind of beat now.. ya know?" asked Scott to the cat.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Maybe we should compare notes when everyone's together anyway.. so we don't have to tell our story's twice." suggested the white lunar feline.

"Agreed. Let's head in, my ass is starting to freeze to the tile." replied the man with a chuckle.

Artemis snickered in kitty fashion and got up with a popping creak of joints.

"Old man Artemis.." snorted Scott.

"Who you callin a man?" snarked the cat as he wafted his tail left and right. He tilted his head up indignantly and padded off toward the other side of the roof so he could hop down.

Scott giggled to himself and simply hopped off the side of the two story structure. His physical capacity was quite a bit beyond the olympic athlete level by now and he'd easily handle such a short drop. It was short for him at least.

He glanced up at the moon one last time before heading inside and sighed softly. "In the name of the moon.."

------

"So, basically you all travel around fighting monsters and rescuing towns?" asked Rei to Makoto as they swept the front porch of the shrine. It was a warm sunny day, but everyone had chores, even her supposed possible fiance was helping out. A fact that surprised her no end.

When she'd found out how his group had sent her blue haired tormentor packing it had warmed her a bit. The fact that he wasn't a lazy shlub that had everyone else working while he sat around helped a little more.

"Yeah, it's cool, but a little scary at times... oops." admitted the amazonchan as she swept a little too hard and snapped her broom in half with a loud crack.

Rei sighed at her and said, "Third one today.. maybe we can sweep later?"

Makoto blushed at her sheepishly and nodded. she wasn't really cut out for house work after all. Brick laying and construction she could manage. Demolition she could do better still.

"Um.. I was wondering.." began the cat girl shyly as her tail lashed back and forth. She hadn't talked to her intended all that much yet and there were many questions she had.

Makoto glanced over at her, but the burgeoning conversation was ended as an angel pokegirl decided to fall heavily from the sky to land atop the bane of brooms. Serena babbled an apology and got to her feet with an embarassed look on her face as she dusted herself.

"You know.. you CAN fly right? How many times are you going to fall off the roof?" asked Rei agitatedly. The twin pony-tailed terror was constantly ruining any attempt she made at finding anything out about her would be fiance and master.

"Yes I know that! I just.." began the angelic look girl with a flush.

"What I wanna know is why you keep landing on me!" exclaimed Makoto irritably. That had to be five times today alone. How clumsy could you be when you can fly!

"Um..." began Serena with a vacant expression. She really didn't do well under pressure unless said pressure as yet. She tended to flake out at a moments notice.

"I swear, it's like your hair style is a dead give away.. you must have meatballs for brains!" snapped Rei again as the frustration of the day mounted. Even when the girl wasn't falling she was somehow screwing things up for Scott's cat girl fiance and shrine maiden in training.

The breakfast incident where she had insisted on cooking and somehow mixed up laundry soap with flour came to mind.

The double pony-tailed angel pokegirl gasped loudly and exclaimed, "I so do not!"

"Yeah.. you do.. you.. you.. meatball head!" snapped Rei in reply. The two girls were getting so angry at each other that some casual observers could claim little electrical discharges were sparking around them.

"Hey.. that's a little mean.." began Makoto. Sure, the blond walking disaster area had fallen on her repeatedly and sent her to practically live in the bathroom for an hour this morning but.. well on second thought maybe it wasn't that bad to talk a little smack right now.

"Oh whatever, take that meatball head's side. I'm going to my room." huffed Rei in a fury as she turned then stomped off toward her personal sanctuary from all the clumsiness.

"I am not a meatball head!" exclaimed Serena heatedly with tears coming to her eyes.

She huffed in turn and then stalked off angrily toward the stairway leading down from the high hill top.

Makoto shrugged and picked up the broom Rei had left behind. She figured she could do a little sweeping just for practice since everyone else was busy. six sweeps later and another loud crack was heard.

"Well, damn." muttered the girl in annoyance as she tossed the broken domestic tool aside. So maybe sweeping just wasn't in the cards.. but she'd definitely be cooking her own food from now on, who knows maybe she'd be good at it?

Meanwhile as this vaguely interesting scenario was occurring Scott and Minako were busy trying to move a bunch of cinder blocks around in Grandpa's training yard. the old man had decided that his would be grandson would need greater knowledge of the martial arts if he were to properly tame his grand daughter.

Of course Scott suspected that this was just an excuse to make him do some heavy weeding and yard renovation. The place obviously hadn't been used much in years.

"Heh, figures i'd find you at your true calling.." snickered Arshes Nei as she dropped down from a tree to land on a particularly large and flat rock near Scott.

Scott snorted at her and said, "Yeah, some of us work for a living. Where you been anyway?"

"What business is that of yours?" she asked him curiously as though she actually wanted an answer.

"I was simply being polite. You know.. the art of conversation." responded the man, before a chilling wave of unease crept across his spine again. All day he'd had this feeling of being watched.

Whenever he looked around he saw nothing of interest. To be honest he was probably spooking himself. He knew in the Sailor moon storyline he was aware of the girls ran across Jedite at this shrine, but so far he'd seen neither hide nor hair of anything.

Grandpa Hino admitted there was a shrine assistant Jed, but he was supposedly away taking care of a family matter at the moment, so who knew if he was really going to turn out to be a general of the negaverse.

The scenario was largely intact really. There was a bus that no one at the shrine knew of and missing people, but so far no shrine assistant available to stare at.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what to think of that. Considering how strong the negaverse youma were he wasn't that enthusiastic about actually fighting a general yet. The girls were a long way from that and they hadn't even awakened mars or found mercury yet! Those two girls alone were integral to defeating the general and even then they didn't kill him.

"Whatever.. where I go and what I do is none of your concern.." remarked the half dark elf hottie with haughty demeanor.

Scott shrugged and said, "I just figured you were looking for a way home. Find anything?"

Minako grunted as she pushed with all her might to roll a boulder that was taller than she was up the side of one small hill. This was good exercise, but she'd love it when it was over with!

arshes looked as though she might say something snooty again but opted just to shake her head. "No nothing. There are plenty of people capable of teleportation spells, as unbelievable as that is, but none seem to be able to get me back home."

"How about those drow archmages? I'm sure at least one of them has to know a world gate spell. i mean.. they're drow archmages.." asked Scott as he hefted a large rock that had to weigh just shy of half a ton over his back and started walking up hill with it.

His strength was beyond the olympic power lifter level by now and while this was a heavy burden for him, it wasn't really at his limit. Nothing compared to Makoto for instance, but he wasn't anything to sneeze at anymore.

"I already asked. They said that the dimensional instabilities on this world made those spells dangerously unpredictable. Personally, I think they just don't like me.." confided the dark elf.

Scott nodded as he put some effort into it and heaved the small boulder off his shoulders to land a few feet away. It was a pitiful toss, but it was still a toss.

"Maybe, but who wouldn't like you? When you aren't being a pain in the ass you're pretty cool. As rare as that is." said the man as he wiped some sweat away from his brow and turned to trot back to the bottom of the small hill for the next rock.

A soft confused blush skittered across Arshes' face for a moment as she processed what he'd said. That was probably the nicest thing either of them had said to the other.

To stave off her confusion she asked, "Why are you struggling so much with those rocks? They can't be that heavy if you are lifting them."

"Feel free to move a couple then if you think so." replied Scott with a smirk. He and Minako had already moved the smallest ones so all that were left were the half ton gut busters and back breakers.

She snorted and strode meaningfully over to the largest rock in the area and proceeded to place her hands on it. When it didn't budge an inch she leaned into it and tried her damnedest to push the thing.

She started to struggle and shift it slightly but the thing simply refused to yield to her.

Scott walked over and made a big production about inspecting the six foot tall rock before smiling at her. "So.. how's it coming?"

Arshes frowned at him but didn't say anything as she leaned hard against it and managed to push it powerfully enough to cause it to fall over on its side.

"Ha! See.. not.. not so tough.." she panted out.

Scott nodded at her cheerfully before walking over and shoving his fingers under a ridge and against the small point at the top. Steadily, if a bit slowly he shifted it back and up before pointing it toward the top of the hill and pushing it over again.

"Good job! Now all you have to do is get it up the hill and stacked with the rest!" he exclaimed humorously.

Her eyes widened perceptibly at his casual, if sluggish, display and said, "Damn.. what the hell have you been eating?"

Minako raised her hand with a silly grin on her face causing Scott to blush significantly.

Arshes rolled her eyes and muttered something about her Darshe and another perverted idiot with a sleazy harem before saying, "I'd love to do your manual labor for you, but I have to go.."

"Oh? Well if moving rocks means that much to you, I can leave that one sitting there for ya till you get back." he said convincingly.

The dark elf snorted at him and said, "No.. no you go ahead and do whatever it is you're doing. I won't be back for awhile."

Minako snickered to herself as she hefted another boulder bigger than she was onto her back and started staggering up the hill. They were only half done for the morning, but at least she could take solace in seeing the haughty dark elf taken down a peg. An entire peg mind you.

While all this was going on, Ryoko was busy cutting the grass on the backside of the hill with her wooden katana. When her master had told her of how much this would improve her swordsmanship the amazonwu lept at the chance to become a humanoid equivalent lawn mower.

Too bad she was relatively alone here, it was kind of lonely but she would persevere in her quest to master her beloved master's style! Who knows, maybe he would even figure out what that style was someday.

Artemis was stalking the grass for some reason. The idea of sneaking around in it appealed to the normally civilized cat's primal nature. Once or twice he'd gotten too close to the amazonwu only to barely avoid a bad hairday.

As for Luna she was following Serena around in an attempt at convincing the girl that as an advisor to the selenite throne she should have more say so than some upstart armor clad, male.

She was telling this to Serena solely because no one else listened and Serena was currently half conscious after having slipped down the steps a little banging her head along the way.

Yeah it was all a rather domestic scene today as everyone seemed to try and find a place here in this shrine area. For some reason it gave them all a homesteading feel that made them gravitate toward the idea of staying or at least visiting often.

Sadly, this would not remain the case for long as a blood curdling scream broke the group, minus Rei who was in the house taking a nap, came rushing over to the stairway as they saw Serena fighting what could only be called a marshmallow with boobs.

Why the angel pokegirl would scream like that is anyone's guess, but the gooey clump of liquid sugar that splurted out to cover one of her wings might have something to say about that.

"It's in my hair!" screeched the girl as she flung her head side to side in an attempt to get the rapidly hardening substance out of her follicles.

Aaron sent a running flame toward the mammary endowed snack treat and it screamed in agony as it melted away. A particularly non-difficult battle. Whatever it was or wherever it came from, it was dead now.

"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed Arshes Nei, her supposed other business forgotten for the moment.

"A boob-mellow." informed Scott sagely.

"What's a boob-mellow master?" asked Ryoko curiously. Her master was so knowledgeable and wise!

"It is a marshmallow.. with boobs." he replied casually.

A few blinks and one hard stare later then Makoto asked, "You.. uh.. really don't know what that thing was do you?"

"Seemed as good a name as any." he admitted with a shrug.

Arshes rolled her eyes but didn't respond to that. What else could you call the thing.

"It's still in my hair!" wailed Serena childishly. Of course who wouldn't be upset with concrete hard marshmallow goo in your hair.

A brief search of the area revealed no further mammaried marshmallow invades so they took the thoroughly freaked girl into the shrine and sent her off to the bath to try and get the crap out of her hair. Hopefully it would just wash off.

Scott saw this as a chance to finally force himself to have a one on one moment with Rei. So he went to her room and knocked softly.

A lightly muffled, "Who is it..?" wafted from the otherside of the door and he replied, "It's Scott.. can I talk to you for a bit?"

There was no answer for a few seconds then the door cracked open and one eye peered out to see if it was really him. When she didn't see anyone else the girl opened her door slightly and glanced down at the ground.

"Yeah.. what do you want..?"

Scott wasn't sure what to say but he decided to speak anyway. "I'd rather know what you want."

"Huh?" she asked him in confusion. The strangeness of that question caused her to raise her eyes to his and the two just stood their staring for a moment.

He was searching for the right words to say to make things ok with them. He didn't know about this whole fiance thing but he did know she wasn't any more interested in that right now than she was.

"Well.. has anyone asked you what you want to do with your life?" he decided to ask. It seemed a reasonable question.

She frowned and shook her head, "Why ask me that.. it's not like it matters anymore.."

"It's your life, why shouldn't it matter?" he pressed her. The sound of anger and hopelessness that she'd spoken with had got to him a little.

She shook her head and turned away a little as though it were a question she didn't want to even think of much less answer.

"If now's not a good time, that's fine. I just wanted you to know i'm available if you want to. ok?" he asked her softly.

She nodded quietly with a soft blush flickering across her face. Her tail whisked back and forth slightly while her ears folded back perceptibly. Kitty was thinking about it.

Scott smiled and moved away then knowing that he'd made as good of an impression as he could at the moment. Rei would take a little more time and effort to win over than the other girls had. She'd had a reletively good homelife and unlike Serena she hadn't been convinced everyone in her life stopped giving a damn about her.

He didn't want to manipulate her or make her feel anything specifically. Fiance or not, she deserved respect simply because she lived. He could give her more time, even if it was running out for her.

In only a few more days she'd need a little sexual healing or she would begin entering the early stages of feraldom.

"Come find me when you want to talk.: he repeated softly as he walked away.

She winced softly and moved back into her room. Rei, for all her interest in talking about him with the other girls, wasn't ready to be alone with him yet.

----

Well, not too much ocurred in this chapter besides a little character development and a few whaddaphuck moments. Still, it's building to something!


	20. Journey Into Memory

"So, when do we leave?" asked the figure in the darkness. Lightning flashed in the background almost illuminating the diabolical creature as it plotted and planned in its impenetrable fortress.

"We attack at dawn, as long as Team Nestle can get the goods we were promised." informed the equally shadow shrouded figure.

"Yes.. tomorrow.. it begins.."

Lightning flashed once more this time illuminating the interior of the dwelling they were in, revealing a six inch tall elf and a six foot tall female counterpart.

-  
Chapter 20: Journey into memory

---

A dark flare of power erupted out of the man as he unleashed another of his black metal assaults at the rapidly moving half dark elf. Arshes Nei was determined to see just how strong Scott had become after having witnessed him lifting boulders.

His speed and strength were surprising for a low end human sorcerer and it disturbed the girl no end that she might soon have to resort to actually counter attacking with her own magic. Over a century of combat experience clearly marked her as the superior warrior in terms of actual skill but his physical capacity was simply beyond the human norm.

Most of the girls in his entourage could easily out perform him but from what Arshes understood they had been designed and created to be living weapons. Such extreme power dynamics were to be expected.

'Time to see if he can take it as well as dish it out..' thought the thunder empress as she prepped herself for her most basic of spells. Once the minuscule power she needed to unleash her onslaught was achieved she called out strongly at point blank range.

~Bullets of lights.  
strike my enemies!

IRON LIGHTNING ANTHEM!~

Scott had already began rolling away from her but it didn't matter. The magic missiles from this spell always hit their target. The only hope of defense was a strong shield spell or something similar to absorb the force.

The black armored man had neither and was lifted off the ground with brutal force as twenty electrical bullets slammed into him with a riot of thunder and fury.

"Master!" screamed Ryoko as she started to run out to her fallen sensei, master, and current love interest. Only Aaron's hand stopped her. She looked up at him in confusion but then turned back to watch the fight when the older man pointed toward the downed soldier.

He had hit the ground hard and didn't get up for a good ten seconds, but he was getting up. His armor had tiny bore holes in it where the small bullets of light and electricity had pierced it. Despite the smoke wafting out and around them he seemed unharmed.

"How..?" began Arshes with her eyes widening in shock. He hadn't used any kind of shield spell at all. The man should be hurt bad or at least incapacitated. The spell was deadly to anyone without magical protection usually. She hadn't used anywhere near her full power with it, but this fight should have been over.

Scott gasped for air as the world swam in his vision. Tears burned hot in his eyes but he was standing. That had sucked royally. However, as far as he knew anyway, his armor had somehow absorbed the impact well enough to allow him to survive.

He knew he was clearly outclassed but he couldn't allow himself to simply give in. He was the weak link in the chain of command. He was the supposed master of the only group on earth with any real chance of fighting the negaverse. No doubt there were others stronger than them that could be trained, but that was beside the point. Currently they were the primary hope of the world, even if the world did not know that.

As the weak link he would have to become stronger and more capable or they would all die.

The problem was that he simply could not fight her. She blocked or dodged his every strike and her magic was so much stronger that even her weakest spell had nearly knocked him the hell out in one shot.

If only he could access more of this supposed power he had. The two spells he could use were great, but he needed to understand himself better.

Scott growled as a trickle of blood slipped down his lips and spun to face Arshes with his sword raised out to the side. She'd probably drop him with her next attack, but he had to keep fighting. His friends deserved his best even if it wasn't good enough, even if his body felt like it was going to fall apart any minute.

His resolve set to battle the man cried out "Prepare for War!" and blinked as something unusual happened. Normally when he used that spell by way of simply vocalizing its name he would get a flaming blade effect and nothing more.

This time, however, he could feel and see the tell tale signs of the world beginning to slow around him as though he had utilized the full spell. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. Immediately he lunged forward at Arshes in an attempt to penetrate her guard.

The elven sorceress gasped in surprise at the fierceness of the attack. She found herself barely able to counter it and move aside to make a hard overhand assault that carved a thick gouge in his cerametal armor.

Scott whipped his sword back around with enough force and speed that despite missing his opponent's torso by a hair's breadth the force of the wind alone scored a slight cut along the tough material of her top.

The man's vision swirled again and began to fog over as he could feel the exertion taking its toll. The damage done to him by those magic missiles must have been greater than he thought or perhaps the enhanced time around him was simply accelerating what would have happened anyway.

Eitherway Arshes was forced to actually focus her attention on defending herself now. Scott had nowhere near the attack speed of Ninja Master Gara, but he was definitely more than she'd thought he'd be in this state.

He was still her inferior combat-wise but now it was solely reflex and experience that was saving her from a rather painful end. His enhanced speed and the flames of his blade made up for a great deal of the gap in their battle skills.

Worse yet, he wasn't giving her time to cast a spell. The man was constantly in her face even though he did appear to be weakening.

Finally one of his attacks went completely wide and she used her momentum to slam the pommel of her sword against the side of his helmet rattling the man's brain even more.  
He fell roughly to the ground and struggled to get up. A dainty boot slamming down onto his chest with the force of a horse kicking a barn door proved this to be a foolish endeavor.

"It's over.." said Arshes with a tired but smug look. It was inevitable that she'd win but it had taken a lot more out of her to do it than she'd suspected. If his swordsmanship had not been so strictly utilitarian in its basic style she might have been far harder pressed. Sadly for the prone man, he really was only a talented beginner.

'Without training in a true weapon or martial art the simplicity of his attacks would get him killed one day' thought the elf girl as she labored to catch her breath.

"No.." croaked out Scott as he tried to get up. It couldn't be over, he had to keep fighting.

Her foot pressed down ever so slightly increasing the pressure. She might not have his level of raw physical strength, but she had over a century of knowledge in combat and the magical arts. She constantly used her chi and elemental magic as a fuel to enhance her body's performance.

Arshes would never admit just how much of her reserve strength it took to hold him down so nonchalantly. "You lost.. it's over.."

"Can't.. give up.. too weak.. gotta.. strong..err.." gasped the man in a soft whisper before succumbing to exhaustion and his internal injuries. With his enhanced healing he'd probably be good to go this time tomorrow, but for now he was done fighting. This soldier had to quit the field in defeat.

Arshes Nei had the superb hearing of her race and easily understood what he meant. It confused her, but she understood. 'He really thinks he's weak?'

As the world fell dark to his eyes, a new one awakened to his inner vision. In the waking realm his friends and loved ones were moving his unconscious form into the house to get him cleaned up and allow him to rest. No healing magic would be used to speed his healing process. He seemed to become stronger at an accelerated pace if his body was forced to heal on its own and the injuries, though formidable, were not outside his ability to heal rapidly.

In this new world he found himself in, Scott wandered along a dusty barren wasteland, a suspiciously blue moon in the sky that looked like something you'd see in a NASA photo.

He didn't speak, there seemed to be no reason for words. all the man did was walk this cold barren landscape. He felt as though he were searching for something. What that something was he could not understand. Yet, he did search.

Time passed and he could see the ruins of houses the same color as the sand. They'd been so covered over by the dust of time that only walking up on one would reveal it to be anything but a natural construct.

There was no air, yet somehow that did not matter. There was no light as he crossed into the darkside of the lunar wasteland and yet he saw as clearly as if it were noon.

He continued on in this vein wandering the fallen relics of the past civilization always drawn to a feeling in front of him. There was a pull, something important beyond the need for words that he must find.

Finally after a time uncountable he felt the pull shift direction and he turned. Around the bend of a rocky canyon he spied the utterly ransacked remnants of a crystalline castle. It was nearly transparent in it's natural state but now it was pock marked and scarred by time, space debris, and the remnants of war.

Into the relic of bygone eras he strode as silent as a whisper. Dark hallways, like the cemetary catacombs of a forgotten fortress, did not echo with his footsteps. It was as though he was not really there.

As he walked along, the images of the ravaged structure occasional flashed into recognition. Despite the darkness he saw clearly and felt as though he knew some of what he saw.

Still, he did not speak. There was ruined art on the walls. Simple, beautiful, elegant, but lacking completion. Most of them were shattered or slashed apart.

Some part of him wondered why he saw no bodies. He felt as though there had been a tremendously destructive battle here, but there were no dead.

As he wandered the hallways he continued following the ever insistent tug and eventually found his way to a room with a set of twin double doors made of what appeared to be silver. Engraved on the front of each door was a crescent moon made of burnished gold set within a crystal backdrop that still shined brightly with some inner radiance.

Scott lifted his hand and pressed lightly on this door. A squeal similar to a badly maintained hydraulic lift that had not been used in years erupted from the doors and then they were open.

A sweet scent floated out as the man walked into the room and immediately noticed a strange white glow from two objects on a desk nearby. One was a locket that seemed all too familiar, and the other was a book.

Scott blinked as his fingers traced the locket and a thought filtered through his mind. 'This thing looks just like the one Serena wears.' Hers didn't play any music though, and to be honest it looked like a cheap plastic knock-off compared to this thing.

He lifted it up and opened it to see what was inside. To his surprise the same song played from the locket as it did in the anime. There was one key difference though. Instead of the whimsical tones of that show, this locket played the same song with the kickass sound of an electric guitar.

He listened to it for a short time as tears began to escape from his eyes. The man had no idea why this was effecting him so much. The song was much cooler in this version,but why did he have this heart wrenching sensation inside himself as he listened to it.

The tears would not stop raining down across his cheeks to plip onto the floor in hot rivulets of pent up pain and emotion.

Slowly as time passed the glow died around it to a much softer indiglo tone and he instinctively placed the locket around his neck. He wanted to return it, but he could not make himself part with the thing. It felt wrong not to keep it.

He turned to the book and traced the little symbols on the front. 'High selenite..' spoke a whispered thought inside his mind. It looked like some bazaar cross between japanese and english to his strangely clear sighted eyes.

He thumbed the book open, but found he could not choose a specific page as the book quickly began flipping them of its own accord and the glow around it died back, while several passages began to shine brightly amongst the text.

: He came again tonight, I can't believe it! He says he loves me, but I don't know. He's a prince and i'm a princess.. so it could work.. but.. he's just soo.. oh sweet grandmother selene he's soooo.. dreamy! Those muscles.. that HAIR.. oh.. those eyes when he looks at me.. and when he calls my name I melt!:

Scott blushed a little a that, though he knew not why, and read another glowing passage on the next page.

: says he's gonna visit at the next ball, there's been some unrest on earth and he had to put his tour on hold to settle the insurrection.. I miss him so much.. my handsome prince!:

'Put his tour on hold?' thought the man as the pages flipped another yet another passage began to glow.

:My Endymion's been hurt! He took a black mana infused arrow through the shoulder. That insurrection is getting bad he says. My mother won't listen to me when I plead with her to send aid to Earth for his people. She thinks they're uncultured barbarians.. oh please be ok my prince..!:

Scott frowned in confusion as he felt a piece of himself flip flop within him. That passage stirred something strange inside, but he read on.

:His father and mother have been killed! He's all alone now.. that shamaness Beryl is running around proclaiming herself the Queen of Earth! My endymion is all alone down there.. fighting all alone...:

He noted that this page seemed stiffer as though the material it was constructed of had gotten wet somehow and tightened. Had she been crying?

:I haven't heard from my prince in two weeks.. all I have left is my locket and the poster on the wall.. oh my endymion please be alright..:

Scott blinked as silent tears once again tracked down his cheek unbidden. He didn't know why this bugged him so much, but he was about to find out.

The man felt, as much as saw, the glowing light shining behind him.

He turned toward it and blinked stupidly for a second as several things became appallingly clear. There was a man on that poster that looked strangely similar to him. If you changed the hair into a raven black heavy metal mop style hair due from the 80's, covered him in leather pseudo-armor, and gave him a badass guitar shaped like an axe you'd have a spitting image of the man on the poster.

The resemblence was uncanny, but there were minor differences beyond the cosmetic. The main seemed like he would be a little taller, and was definitely less bulky than Scott.

He took in the sight of what looked like him if he ever decided to become a supremely kickass rockstar for a good long while before he noticed what was at the bottom. There was a signature that looked a great deal like his chicken scratch hand writing..

~ To the freakiest little sex puppet I know.. love ya moon bunny.. N..~

"What the hell?" said Scott aloud finally, breaking the millenia old silence in this place. His voice echoed accusingly off the walls of the invaded was all too freaking weird.

"N.." he whispered softly as his fingers traced the writing. "Short for Endymion maybe? Why not use an E though..." he asked gently aloud.

Scott felt like he had found some fundamental piece of a large unknowable puzzle, yet he knew not where to even begin placing it. All he could think at that moment was.. 'Why not E..?'

---

"He's awake!" exclaimed Ryoko from the room. The girls upon hearing that raced inside to see if it was true. He'd been unconscious for two days and they had feared the worst.

Even Rei came in to see what was going on. Her life had not been easy these last two days. she could feel herself slipping away a little more by the minute. Already she was forgetting simple things and she'd act strangely in the presence of others. Just this morning she'd hissed and slapped at Minako's hand when she tried to get another piece of bacon that was sitting too close to Rei's plate.

Scott blinked tiredly at the girls, but a smile crossed his features at their concern. 'These crazy chicks always worry about me so much..'

He looked at them each in turn and smiled in a way that made them feel especially loved, he even included Rei in that despite her misgivings. She returned his smile with one of her own, but he could sense a strangeness behind her eyes. There was an gleam a darker edge there than normal. It was both intense and exciting at the same time.

"I'm so glad you're ok master!" exclaimed Ryoko excitedly as she leaned forward and hugged him deeply. she blinked in confusion and pulled her head up as she felt a strange metallic lump against his supposedly naked chest.

"What's this?" she asked curiously as she pulled on a silver chain she saw around his neck and revealed a star shaped locket.

The man's eyes widened comically as the same locket he'd listened too in his dream state appeared in front of his real life vision.

Serena gasped loudly and pulled her own out to show it off. "It's just like mine! Where did you get it? i looked everyone to find one like that and could only find this cheap thing."

"Huh, I thought it had been in your family longer than anyone could remember?" he asked her curiously.

Serena blinked, "No.. no.. the stone inside has.. but the locket is something I bought at a flea market stall.. it reminded me of this locket i'd seen in a dream when I was a kid.."

Scott was about to question her some more when Aaron came rushing into the room. "We seem to have found ourselves a spot of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Makoto as she slapped her right fist into her left palm. She hoped it would be a fight. The girl needed to blow off some steam after being so worried the last two days.  
Aaron shook his head, "There's a group of people outside the shrine demanding to have their family members returned to them. Something about a bus?"

"There is no bus!" snapped Rei in annoyance.

The rest of the group blinked and stared over at her before she clarified.

"They've been coming around for like two weeks claiming people are getting on the temple bus and never coming home. We don't have a bus!" exclaimed Rei as her tail lashed the air in agitation.

"Yet, people are missing?" asked Aaron curiously.

Rei frowned and then shrugged, "I guess so. The league hasn't sent any police up here, and we did send in reports along with everyone else. We're outside of everyone's jurisdiction so they aren't sure who to send to check into it."

"How can you be outside their jurisdiction?" asked Scott carefully. He knew some of the legalities, but wasn't this shrine in an actual league? They could send someone!

"I mean, we aren't part of any town. League central has to send someone, and I don't even know how to contact them." admitted Rei.

"Well.. looks like we'll have to solve this mystery gang.." replied with man with a half snort.

"Uh.. why is that funny master?" asked Serena, her eyes still occasionally glancing down at the locket around his neck.

"Ri ron't row raggy." he muttered sadly. Sometimes it sucked that no one here really understood him, even those closest to him.

"Uh... yes.. anyway.. We should look into this since no one else from the league seems concerned." stated Aaron with a glance at Scott.

The man nodded and started to roll out of bed, his locket swinging free in a manner similar to another hanging object belonging to him.. He sighed softly and looked up, "How come I always wake up naked?"

Several flushes and one naughty smirk came into his field of vision and he just shook his head. What did he do to deserve this kind of stuff in his life? He'd really like to know.. maybe he should do it more often.

Serena spoke up then as something occured to her, "Hey, wait what do you mean there's no shrine bus?"

Rei growled throatily at her and shook her head, "Geeze meatball head.. didn't I just get done explaining this!"

"Don't call me meatball head! And there is too a bus, I saw it yesterday!" snapped the angel pokegirl in a most non-angelic fashion.

Rei stared at her stupidly for a moment then said, "What kind of medication are you on anyway?"

"I saw it!" she exclaimed as her wings flapped into existence and outward in agitation.

"I believe you." said Scott softly.

Rei frowned at him as though it were some kind of betrayal. Scott shook his head at her, though, and said "Maybe the bus' driver just doesn't want you to see it. If they're kidnapping people nearby then they probably don't want anyone knowing for certain."

The catgirl was going to say something angry in reply but the cold hard truth of that settled into her somewhat fuzzy brain. It did make a lot of sense.

"So.. where did you see this bus?" asked Scott casually as he went about putting on his under armor padding. It was similar to the kind of material he'd have worn back on his own world when getting ready to wear his IBA. Moisture wicking, soft, and it did not scratch. It was a must with armor or you ended up chaffing with far more armor marks that you normally would.

"I was doing those aerial reconnaissance exercises you instructed me to do, and saw one about I dunno.. a quarter mile up the road? It was sitting off to the side, even had a sign out front with the shrine's name on it and a departure schedule." she informed them.

"You must have gotten pretty close to see all that.." said Ryoko curiously. who knows maybe the bus people were onto them already.

"Not really.. I mean I was just flying around above the shrine.. I have really good eyesight now.." she said with a blush.

"I'll say! If you can see that much from a quarter mile away!" exclaimed Makoto in surprise.

"Um.." began Serena shyly, she didn't want to admit that she could actually see farther than that. Her senses weren't that far off from being as good as any bird of prey from the pre-sukebe days.

"So, whadda we do?" asked Artemis after hopping up onto a nearby cabinet.

"We catch a ride." said Scott casually.

The others turned toward him curiously, when he spoke like that he usually had a plan.  
Hopefully, this one had more to it than catching a ride.

"This is what we'll do.." he began as they all listened curiously.

-  
AN:

ok.. yeah I know.. short chapter.. lol. but I figured i'd go ahead and end it here so you all can enjoy it. I promise you'll see some more plot advancement soon... i'm actually still very excited about this story, despite how long it takes me to update.


	21. The Metal Speaks

A clacking of keys subsided suddenly as Pirotessa pulled her fingers back to massage the bridge of her nose, her eyes closing softly. She'd been running the numbers and calculating statistical analysis for days without finding the answer.

"It just doesn't make sense." she admitted with a sigh before opening her eyes and staring blearily at the low glare screen. Scott's consistent growth and strange quasi-magical powers just did not make sense from a mathematical perspective.

He should have topped out already. Even the strongest of strength enhancing bloodgifts only allowed an ordinary human being to gain between three and four times the standard capacity, and that was with excessive training. True there were exceptions such as the monster out ability which can vary wildly in power scale but that was rediculously rare. She had never personally met anyone with that power, not even the ogress pokegirl it came naturally to.

The original hypothesis was that his latent pure blood human talents had awakened within him due to dimensional instability and an influx of magical energy. However, that particular train of thought did not make sense after all the studies.

For that to be true with his continued growth rate the man would have had to have been some kind of slumbering dynamo. It would have been like a god from her world pretending to be a mortal man.

What made matters worse was that instead of tapering off the growth seemed to be increasing. His last blood chemistry screening had begun showing trace elements of minerals not found commonly in anything he could have been eating. That could only mean that he was in fact producing them himself.

"Just what are you Scott?" asked the dark elven hottie as she sighed at the picture of him on her desk. It was one he'd taken with his shirt off while flashing a bright smile and giving her a 'thumbs up' during one of their extremely rare outings together for training purposes.

The silly bastard had even signed it for her when she wasn't looking, it said, 'To my biggest fan.. luv ya P-chan.. Scott.'

"How can you keep growing stronger like this.. you don't have pokegirl genetics.. or any kind of possessing spirit.. It's unnatural for humans without special training to become this powerful.." she mumbled to herself before chewing her lower lip.

While it was entirely true that he was weak compared to most pokegirl types in the world, he was quite a bit beyond the human norm. For instance a normal fit human male should be able to bench press between one hundred eighty and two hundred ten pounds. Scott's bio-structure registered him at having the technical capacity of max lifting over one metric ton of weight.

Pretty low end for a fighting type pokegirl, and in a normal state of conscious decision he wouldn't be able to use but somewhere between thirty and fifty percent of that.

Still he was damn near superhuman compared to an ordinary creature. She personally couldn't bench more than two hundred and she was pretty damn fit if she said so herself. Of couse being an elf didn't lend toward high end physical strength so much as staggeringly high levels of agility and swift reflexes.

Pirotessa sighed and began another data entry session on her voice blog, "Subject Scott, gender male, species pure blood homo-sapien.." but she stopped short after she spoke those words. Could she even call him that anymore?

He possessed no truly aberrant protein strands or DNA signatures, but with the molecular shifts in his bio-chemistry there was some cause to believe that such a thing might not be the case much longer.

Her lab equipment was state of the art, but her field was more generalized than that of her guest professor Bates. Perhaps tomorrow when he showed her his findings on the blood samples she had given him recently he would be able to tell her more.

The man had seemed as giddy as a school girl earlier that day, and if she'd had more time to listen to him she might already know what the man knew. To be honest she'd avoided it on purpose. Something told her that what the professor had discovered would be important but irrevocable knowledge.

Well,that, and the fact that she'd never grow old and would have an ass you could bounce a quarter off of long after most of the current civilizations on this planet turned to dust. There was something to be said for elven biology after all.

Pirotessa glanced at the picture of Scott on her desk once more and sighed again. "What are you.." she said again softly. The real question she had wanted to ask, though, was.. "Why haven't you called in over a week."

-----

Chapter 21: Waitin on a bus..

-----

"I don't know rrrwhy I have to wearrllrr this.." began Rei in a whiney purring tone. The clothes were a fairly normal tee shirt and skirt combination. They even seemed a bit loose but she acted like they were going to choke the life out of her. For some reason they seemed far too restrictive and she wanted to be free of them as soon as possible.

It had taken over an hour to find something she'd wear this morning without tearing to shreds. The once shy and demure shrine princess seemed to shun the wearing of clothes nowadays.

"Sorry Rei, but for this to work we have to look like a normal couple. Just some guy and his 'pet'. Pet owners nearby generally dress up their pets.. so.. sorry you have to keep your clothes on.

She purred in annoyance and lowered her lashes at him. Her tail whisked softly back and forth as she stared at the man. It disgusted her that every time he said the word 'pet' she wanted to bite him and curl her tail around him and as she noticed those feelings Rei struggled insider herself.. 'Down girl.. down.. no master for you.. you're your own woman and no one's making you their personal love slave!' she thought to herself vehemntly while her eyes traced his sleek musculature and aloof demeanor.

Finally she broke her silence by asking the same question she'd asked twice already this morning. "Why bring me? These guys obviously know what I look like."

Scott nodded at her casually while continuing to scan the area as they walked along the dirt path to the road. "Like I said, that is the point."

"It still doesn't make sense! Won't they trrury to hide if they see us coming?" she asked curiously.

"Nah." he informed her Scott wasn't telling her was that he suspected the truth about the ones who were running the bus kidnapping ring. If he was right then Rei almost had to be in attendance. It was in genre after all.

Beside that point, if his hunch was right the kidnappers wouldn't care who came along as long as they got some people.

She frowned at him and shook her head. How was this going to work?

Scott was as nervous as a whore in church while he walked along that path. He was forced to leave his armor behind for this. His sword was in attendance, as many young people kept one for decorative purposes currently, but without his armor he felt as naked as Rei wished to be.

He rarely came out of his cerametal shell outside of a building. It was a nice well-constructed home away from if that home tended to get badly damaged by the constant fighting he was in.

The armor was about a generation more advanced than the fighting systems that were being designed for the army back home. The future war fighter system mark II would be a good name for it.

Unfortunately, power armor wasn't on the general market in this world. Certainly his had many smart functions, like the heads up display and the ability to self heal when stored in his pack, but it didn't enhance his strength or speed.

Even back home they were developing exo-skeletons like that. Heck japan had a robotic exo-skeleton that was used in hospitals and nursing homes to help the staff carry and lift patients with ease.

By the year twenty twenty-five there would have been enhanced armor weapons systems with strength and speed enhancement as well as smart weapon capabilities that allowed for auto weapon targeting.

Why this world, with its seemingly advanced technology, didn't even have that was beyond his understanding. The defensive material was about a decade more advanced than the type IV ballistic plates from back home but that was about the extent of the upgrade.

The only answer to his question that he could come up with was also a very sad one. People in general had given up on human advancement and warfare in favor of the much more accessible pokegirls. In a world where everyone could have been Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, people were relying on what seemed easiest.

It wasn't an entirely fair assessment of course. The technology to create ballistic armor similar to what the military wore in America had been lost until about twenty years ago anyway.

Only the advent of pokegirls that heavily relied on firearms had given the researchers a reason to study the dated technology at all. The material construction of modern American body armor was highly resistant to firearms, but it was easy to crack when shot and tended to only protect you once in the same spot. It would definitely save your life, and help prevent the massive body trauma that wearing only the vest would cause.

Contrary to popular belief, soft armor did stop most common ammunition types. People generally disbelieved that something less than an inch thick could stop a bullet, but it did that very well.

What it didn't stop was the brutal force of the bullet would not penetrate the body armor, but people had still died from the trauma inflicted to internal organs from the force of the blow.

It also would not prevent you from being stabbed to death. A knife would easily puncture non-plated body armor defeating it utterly. That's why many people who didn't go in for sapi plates relied on trauma plates instead.

The insertion of a trauma plate protected against forceful blows and stabs a bit better than kevlar and its more capable modern cousins, such as gold flex, would do alone.

As they walked along, with Scott musing on the frailty of his unarmored mortal form, the duo kept silent. Neither really knew what to say to the other and that was enough to keep them quiet.

I mean what were they gonna say beyond, "Hi.. uh.. nice weather we're having."

They reached the main road and continued on toward the clearing that Serena had claimed to see the day before. Scott's consideration of the difference between his old army life and this life brought back a bit of memory to him, so as they wandered along he began to hum a song from his days at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Rei grimaced at the catchy tune and shook her head. It wasn't long, though, before she started picking up the cadence and hummed along with him at uncertain intervals. Finally she had to ask, "What are you humming anyway?"

"Dog Faced Soldier.." he replied softly.

Rei blinked at him and shook her head. What kind of name was that for a song?

"How's it go?" she asked curiously. She had never heard the name of that song before and wondered if he was making that up. Sounded like something a hound or a growltit would love though.

Scott sighed softly and said, "Man.. haven't sung that retarded ass song since.. " before shaking his head sadly. "I don't even know if I have the right to sing it anymore.. after what I did."

Rei actually started back slightly as a single set of twin tears trickled down his cheeks.  
"Huh.. what you did?" she finally asked.

Scott shrugged. "Ancient history..and worlds away.. Rei.. worlds away.."

She nodded like she understood even if she clearly didn't.

She wasn't going to drop this though and asked again as nicely as she could while her ears perked up.."C'mon.. please? Now you've got me all currlrious!"

The man sighed softly and nodded. "Fine.. it probably existed here once.. and even if I have no right to sing it, the least I can do is remember it for all the ones who fell protecting their world. It's kinda corny though.."

"It's about corrlrn?" she asked seriously.

Scott laughed at her gently and shook his head. "Silly kitty.. no.. it's about honor and integrity.. even if it's kinda lame.."

She nodded. Then said, "So.. sing it then.."

He took a deep breath and stopped walking. He came sharply to a position of attention and released his breath slowly before taking in another one.

Rei blinked at his change of demeanor, but her eyes widened comically at the words that came loudly with crystalline clarity from his lips.

~Oh..I wouldn't give a bean to be a fancy pants marine.  
i'd rather be a dog faced soldier like.. I am!

I wouldn't trade my old O.D.'S for all the navy's dungaries.  
For i'm the walking pride of Uncle Sam!

The poster on the wall says be all that you caaan.  
so they're tearin me down to build me over again!

Just a dog faced soldier.. with a rifle on my shoulder.  
I eat raw meat for breakfast every daaay!

So feed me ammunition.. keep me third division!  
Dog faced soldier's A..okkkkkkk!" ~

Rei blinked stupidly at him for a moment as a nervous ticked developed over her left eye brow. Finally she couldn't stop the flood of emotion anymore and she howled out a laugh louder than she had in years.

Tears came to her eyes as her face turned red in shock at the sheer oddness of what he'd just sang. "What the hell kinda song was that!"

Scott's eyes clouded over and he turned away softly before he spoke with a hurt tone creeping into his voice. "One that I have no real right to sing.. ever again."

Rei slowly got ahold of her mirth as she noticed just what her laughter was doing to him. There was definitely a story here that she'd have to ask about later.

What she asked instead was, "What's a soldierrlr anyway? You mean like those prrlre-sukebe fighterrlrs? The ones in the movies?" She'd heard the term in school, but it wasn't something people said everyday. There had been that movie she'd seen once too, with humans in weird looking uniforms fighting with high-tech weapons and doing physical feats of strength that were blatantly impossible for any non-pokegirl.

For the people of this pokegirl world, someone claiming to be a 'soldier' was synonymous with someone on Scott's homeworld claiming to be a ninja master. It was considered cute but not exactly possible.

Scott shrugged. "There's two ways to explain a soldier.. the technical way.. and my way.."

"And those arrlre..?" she asked him curiously.

"Technically a soldier is a trained fighter that performs military service for their country of origin without questioning lawful orders. They are professionals that take on the task of defending their homeland as a trade." he informed her.

"Ok.. and what's your definition of a soldierrlr?"

Scott smiled nostalgically for a moment and then said, "A soldier is someone that stands in harms way on behalf of those they love. They are defenders of those who wish to live their lives in peace. They are the guardians of freedom and the rights of those they protect. A soldier is all I had ever wanted to be back home.."

"Well.. that sounds like you frrurm what i've hearrlrd.." she said as a half apology for upsetting him earlier.

"No.. i'm.. i'm not a soldier anymore. I don't.. I just don't have the right to call myself that." he managed to croak out as his eyes threatened to tear up again. He'd been dealing with his inner sense of guilt and shame over the choice he'd made for over two years now. It always hurt him to know he'd betrayed his oath to the army, even if it was for the sake of his sick mother and the horrible situation she'd been in.

He stopped for a few seconds before he seemed like he would add something but the sound of an engine firing up nearby would have to take precedence over relating background information and characterizational subplots for the moment.

"Let's hitch a ride!" said Scott with faked enthusiasm. He would have to focus and get his head back in the game soon. If he allowed himself the time, he would have kicked himself for losing focus while on mission.

"Right.!" chimed in Rei, hoping to add something useful to the moment. She didn't really, of course, but it was nice that she tried.

The pair jogged up to the clearing and saw a rather normal looking bus, in league standard red and white idiling near a sign and a bench. As the pair walked into the clearing the bus' door swung open with a hydraulic hiss, but nothing else happened.

The sign read: Hickey-Wa Shrine Express Bus.

That tidbit of information caused Rei to hiss menacingly, but Scott's hand on her shoulder calmed her down a little.

The pair walked toward the bus and were greeted to the site of a rather non-descript character sitting calmly in the driver's seat. It was a creepy scenario really, as the driver never turned toward them or made them aware that he even acknowledged their presence until Scott spoke.

"So.. uh... where does this bus go."

The driver curtly responded in a semi-robotic monotone,"Oldtowne." It was like a living voice mail autoresponder.

He tried asking several other questions but only got responses to bus related issues. The driver wouldn't answer anything unless it involved the bus, its schedule, or the route it would take.

"The bus will leave in two minutes." informed the creepy but professionally attired driver.

"What kind of bus is this.. this is frurreaky!" Rei managed to both exclaim and whisper.

"It is the Hickey-Wa shrine bus to Oldtowne." informed the driver as though she had asked him.

"How much to ride?" asked Scott.

"You will be required to make payment at the end of the line." informed the driver.

"Yeah.. but how much?" he asked again, with a sense of uncertainty. He didn't like the wording of the driver's answer.

"Payment will be paid once you have arrived at your destination." replied the driver.

"That still doesn't tell me how much i'll owe you." asked Scott suspiciously.

The driver did not answer.

"So, what now?" Rei asked Scott.

"I guess we get on and see where we go." he said before stepping forward onto the bus. As soon as Rei followed him the doors closed and the driver said, "Now departing."

----

"Sky One, Alpha Zero, Can you see them? Over." asked Minako on her headset. They used these frequently on field ops, as Scott called them, to keep in contact when their unit, another thing Scott called them, was scattered around.

With Serena two miles up in the air above the shrine, she was quite a bit out of normal talking range. The angel girl answered, "Alpha Zero, Sky One, Yeah.. Red Duck has stopped and is standing really still.. facing Skanky Cat. I think he's saying something, but I can't hear him. Over."

"Sky One, Alpha Zero, Ok.. just let us know if anything weird happens, we're enroute to our positions. Acknowledge." responded Minako. It seemed kind of weird to talk like this, but Scott insisted on it. He'd complained once that they needed more discipline, and despite how he felt this method wasn't exact protocol it was close enough for his needs.

"Alpha Zero,Sky One, Acknowledged Wilco, Over." came Serena's half giggled voice. She was getting into this communications stuff. It was just like the movies with those soldiers in it.

"Sky One, Alpha Zero, Understood, Out." announced Minako over her head set before turning back to the other two girls with her. "We ready?"

Ryoko and Makoto nodded. They were going to run along a forest trail as fast as they could to follow along the road way. The road takes a long winding course around the forest a mountain, and with enough speed on their part they could be at the base before the vehicle. Their route was straighter and the top heavy vehicle would only be able to move at a slow speed without rolling over the edge of a cliffside. They would be there already, but they needed to stay in the area in case Scott and Rei needed immediate aid.

Arshes, Aaron, and the less useful but still present moon cats, were already at the mountain base where the ambush was set up anyway. Minako's group was the go between tactical team. They were meant to trouble shoot the original setup and be prepared to act as a reactionary force if they had to.

A few minutes later Serena's voice echoed clearly through the headset,apparently modern technology eliminated a lot fo static in transmission, "Sky One, Alpha Zero,Red Duck and Skanky Cat are entering target one. I say again, Red Duck and Skanky Cat are entering Target One. Over."

"Alpha Zero, Sky One, Acknowledged, continue mission, over."

"Sky One, Alpha Zero, Wilco, Out."

-----

Scott and Rei had been riding the bus for a while, before he noticed that they weren't as alone on the ride as they thought. In the back seat, curled in a fetal ball sleeping, was a blue haired girl in a pair of slacks and a simple tee shirt.

The man blinked stupidly as a possible scenario entered his mind and he dismissed it. Even with the possibility of Sailor Pluto involving herself, the path his mind had just entered into was beyond probable. How in all the world, could the person he was thinking of be here on this bus, right this moment.

The girl shifted in her sleep and whimpered softly before taking a few shaky breaths and lifting her head. She was waking up.

"Wha..? Is the bus finally moving..? Feels like i've been waiting here for days..?" She asked exhaustedly.

A skittering dread filtered down Scott's spine as he considered her half conscious words. what exactly happened to the people on this bus. For that matter why did Rei's eyelids seem to be drooping a little.

He felt perfectly fine, if a little bored, but he knew enough to consider the implications.

"Miss.. what day is it?" he asked her as she became slightly more coherent.

"It's November the second.." she saidly sleepily.

Rei blinked tiredly as Scott began to frown. It was the fifth. The girl had been on this bus three days, without knowing it. How was that possible?

He got a good look at her and was struck again with the similarity between her and and someone he'd been looking for recently. "What's your name? Where are you from?"

"Names.. my name.. Am...zun.. ohh.." began the girl before slumping over again. She was too drained to speak anymore.

Scott hissed lightly at that. It definitely sounded like she was who he suspected and that meant problems. If it came to a fight they'd have to not only keep from being drained dry themselves, but try to keep the unconscious girl alive as well.

His plan didn't seem so intelligently executed now that the realization that he was armorless and had an unconscious person to tend to. Sometimes, it just didn't pay to get out of bed in the morning.

The pair of would be heroes didn't have time to muse further about this situation as the bus suddenly picked up speed and threw them toward the back door.

Rei shouted, "What the hell!" as an open expanse appeared in front of them. The bus seemed to be driving straight off the side of a cliff!

"Shit, hold on!" screamed Scott as he wrapped his arms around the freaked out cat girl. He needed the comfort of her almost as much as she needed him at the moment as they felt the front of the bus push forward into a hard dive.

Suddenly the air around them flared with black-purple light that cast sinister shadows. A jarring sensation followed as they stopped suddenly and the bus driver stood up from his seat.

The man turned toward them and dark smoke erupted around him for a second to reform as a creature a foot taller with horns and boobs. Not exactly the same youma you'd see in the anime. If anything this one actually seemed menacing.

"What kind of pokegirl is that!" exclaimed Rei in shock as she got a good look at the thing. She really hoped it wasn't some kind of dragon type.

"Last stop.. time to pay up.." informed the overly masculine female youma.

"Sorry... all outta Credits.." said Scott with a great deal more calm than he felt. This thing didn't feel quite as strong as the super youma they had faced, but there was a strangeness about it anyway. Some kind of uncanny intelligence shining from baleful eyes that overflowed with menace.

"Feh.. give me.. your energy!" snapped the creature before raising a clawed hand toward the vulnerable seeming man.

As normal Scott felt nothing, not even so much as a mild bit of discomfort from the draining assault. Rei on the other hand slumped forward slowly as her eyes started to droop. Whatever facility that kept Scott immune to these assaults did not extend itself to the stricken cat girl.

Knowing that he could not stop it otherwise, Scott slid his sword carefully from his sheath. He couldn't rip it out like some heroic madman with the bus seats in the way, so that was the next best scenario.

The driver snickered at him and shook its horned head before saying, "Bah. Stingy! I want your energy!"

"You want it! Come take it!" snapped the man as he ran forward, down the aisle in an attempt to get at the creature before its draining attack proved fatal on Ami, and possibly Rei.

As he neared the creature something unfortunate occured. A wall of force erupted out of the floor that sent him hurtling back bodily several rows to land hard on his back. His sword slid swiftly down to cut a small tear in his pants and started a trickle of blood along his thigh.

The youma laughed darkly at his misfortune as it raised its other hand and clenched them to double the draining effect. It was like it literally wanted to squeeze the life out of all of them.

"Fuck!" snapped the man. He couldn't get past the energy barrier, and he damned sure didn't want to try sending a black metal wave against it. He'd never been hit with his own attack and he didn't want to risk learning how that felt now.

With no other alternatives the man got to his feet and promptly retreated to the back of the bus. He couldn't fight that thing inside these confines, and unless they got out of here the girls would die.

That in mind, he pushed past Rei as she sat down heavily in a seat. The emergency exit was their only hope. unfortunately it seemed to be welded shut by some unknown force. The handle turned readily enough, he could even see the lock bar move inside it since the front panel was missing for some reason.

The thing simply did not open. No amount of him kicking or attacking the windows weakened it in any capacity.

"Dammit!" he snapped as he saw Rei start to go under. Her eyes were closing and she was no longer answering him when he asked her simple questions to keep her awake.

He was alone, his friends were dying, and he had no way to help them.

Scott wasn't one to give up when the chips were down, but for once he had no idea what to do. It was like they were inside some kind of force bubble that he wasn't able to break through. Worse yet, time was running out for all of them. The girls had butt a few minutes at most.

Of course it did occur to him that if the force bubble was airtight then he wouldn't live too much longer than them, as he would suffocate long before he starved to death. The youma didn't look even remotely interested in coming in to finish him off.

"Satisfied with yourself?" called Scott heatedly from the other side of the bus. He only had one ploy and somehow he knew it wouldn't work.

"Entirely." stated the youma with a cunning most of its type didn't know. This thing was too smart. Most could only demand energy or say their names and demand energy. The only time in the series where they seemed more intelligent was when they pretended to be someone else. Once the facade faded away they reverted to idiotic and goofy looking monsters with one liner catch phrases on the average.

"Can't handle a real fight..huh? Afraid you aren't able to cut it against me without such cheap tricks?" asked Scott snidely.

"Hey.. ya caught me.. You must be right. I'm entirely too cowardly to fight you. I guess i'll just have to watch you die a slow death choking on your own exhaled gases." stated the creature without a hint of anger or concern.

A minute passed and Scott struggled to find some way, anyway, out of this.

Finally, with nothing left to lose he asked,"What are you Jedite's favorite idiot?"

The creature blinked curiously for a moment then its mouth curled into a slow smirk. "So.. one of you monkeys knows my name. How interesting.."

"Your name..?" asked Scott slowly as dread began to knot in the pit of his stomach. Pieces of this puzzle were rapidly falling into place. The trap, the execution of such a simple but effective plan, the unusually intelligent youma..

"Of course ..human..If you know who I am, then I should think you'd actually understand how I operate.. just what are you seeing.." informed the creature in an entirely different voice than it had been speaking earlier.

Scott frowned. The youma was simply a vessel, a sort of avatar for Jedite to work through. He wasn't here, but this disposable puppet 's why this trap would work. Without a mind of its own the puppet youma would simply carry out the last order given until its destruction.

"What I wonder.. is how you know of me... I've never told my true name to a human of this era.." stated the youma with the dark kingdom general's voice.

The sword wielding man shrugged. "I just asked around looking for the gayest fanny bandit kidnapper in the world that sucks dick on the side. The only name I ever got was yours."

"Cute. Enjoy your slow pointless death human." stated the voice with a hint of anger before the cruel intelligence in the youma's eyes faded to a far duller sheen.

Scott experimentally tried to bait the youma now, but it completely ignored him.

Bereft of even the chance to annoy his captors there was nothing to do but sit and wait to die. He could sense no other option save one.. and he felt strongly that it would not work.

Still.. he had to try, despite the stupidity.

He focused all the spiritual power he could muster and then in a strong clear voice he sang out,

`Lay down your souls to the gods rock and roll..`

"BLACK METAL"

The effect was both immediate and devastating. The wedge of black ether gravitational force flared against the far wall of the force bubble and reflected back at him with a furious vengeance.

The man wasn't even able to scream as the air was ripped from his lungs and he was thrown back into the rear of the bus with crushing force. The light faded from his eyes swiftly afterward as his ears rang with the sudden cruel laughter of his captor. He had amused Jedite utterly.

----

"What do you mean you haven't found the wreckage?!" snapped Minako over the comm unit in a righteous frenzy. They'd given up on the supposed protocol after Serena called down to them that she'd seen the bus go over the cliff.

The others were currently running full tilt toward the scene of the fall while Serena continued to do a search and rescue over look.

"I said I don't see the bus!" snapped Serena in anger and fear. Where the hell was it!

"Are there trees blocking it?" asked Aaron as he kept pace with the supposedly stronger girls. Whatever exercise regime he kept to in all those years of life, definitely seemed to work wonders for the elder man.

"No.. there are no trees, it's a flat grassy area." she replied dumbfounded. Normally that wouldn't be too difficult a state for her to find herself in, but this would have stretched the mental faculties of anyone.

"Dammit! Keep looking!" snapped the blond alpha as the group raced to the seen of the non-existent wreck. This was just too freaky.

-----

Scott awoke in darkness. It was an inky thing of night and despair that seemed to claw at him in an attempt to enter him in any way possible.

"Wha.. what's going on?" he asked aloud. His voice echoed strangely as though two separate resonances were emanating from his at once.

As he spoke a strange thing occurred. The words seemed to cause a ripple in the fabric of this night time shroud he found himself in. They caused swirls of color in the air before him as they carried on out and away.

He was quiet for a moment as he sensed a stirring of something around him. soon though, it faded and with nothing else to do he cried out again. "WHERE AM I..!"

His words echoed outward in that strong dissonance sending sound and light outward and away from him with lightning speed.

A voice answered him from the darkness with only a whisper, "Quiet.." but the light and fury that followed in its wake hit him with gale force, flinging him back in its wake like a leaf caught in a tornado.

When the sonic assault ended he had a sense of lying down in the darkness once again. His body trembled with aftershocks after that simple exchange.

Scott wasn't sure what to do, or where he was. All he did know was that he wasn't alone in the darkness and whatever was out there, it was powerful beyond words.

His strongest scream had barely lit up the world. The quiet whisper that answered him had utterly outclassed his shout in every way.

Wherever he was, the local citizenry liked it silent as the grave.

It wasn't long, though, before his trembling subsided and he grew bored. In his fear and restlessness he started to do something he used to do out of long habit. He began to hum softly.

The pleasant little melody carried in the midnight air leaving trails of beautiful light, unlike the harsh vibrance his shouts had caused. He could feel the stirring around him again, but this time it didn't seem quite so agitated.

Scott felt strangely like he was being watched. It was like a thousand eyes were on him and each was curious beyond words.

A spider web of doubt skittered along his spine, but he decided that if this thing was going to do anything, the least he could do was go out singing.

"Hush little baby.. don't say a word... never mind the voice that you heard..." he began to sing with a stronger voice.

The dark stirring grew tight at the loudness of his song, but did not attack or say anything, it seemed almost anxious as though waiting for something.

"It's just the beast under your bed.. in the closet.. in your heeeead.. exiit light! into niyiiight taaaake my haaayand .. off to neva nevah laaand!" sang out Scott in his best metallica inspired vocalization.

The light that swayed and flooded around him seemed for all the world to look like a laser rock show.

He closed his eyes in sudden pain as a thousand images unfolded within his mind. He could see things with crystalline clarity that never before had existed to his eyes. Alien worlds, alien races, differing cultures.

There was very little in common with them save for one defining item. They all sang. Each of those races on those worlds songs sounded different in his mind, some grand and inspiring, some incredibly grating and annoying. However, always someone sang.

What was this. Why was he seeing these things in his mind.

A soft voice unfurled itself within the boundaries of his mind then, a few simple words spoken in a quiet almost lovingly masculine voice. The voice of a father to a child when they are having nightmares and he wishes to calm them.. "Go forth my son.. and rock.."

Before Scott could say anything aloud and fuck up the moment a bright spear of light erupted from a point high in the air above him. It shone down brightly upon him like a spotlight.

The brilliance of it was too much for his vision and tears began to stream from his eyes. Soon, however, he felt a pulling sensation and he was being lifted upward toward the origin of that peaceful yet powerful luminescence.

The darkness and the light faded away and he found himself laying flat on his back inside the bus once again. It took him a brief moment to orient himself before the pain hit him.

His chest felt like it had caved in, and he was incredibly weak. The after effects of the black metal spell were obvious to him.

It was all he could do to whisper out, "I'm sorry.." before the tears came to his eyes and tracked down his cheeks. There was nothing else he could do for them.

He was having trouble even attempting to sit up, much less able to find the strength to get out of this situation.

The weird place his mind had taken him came back into his thoughts for a moment, with the song he had sung taking a forefront in his memory. There was something about that. Why on earth had he chosen, "Enter the Sandman" by metallica as a song to sing when alone in the dark with no idea what to do.

"Kinda like now.." he whispered painfully, a hint of blood coming to his lips. He was certainly lost and alone with no idea what to do now.

It took him a few precious seconds, but the thought did finally occur to him. It was desperate and stupid, but he could sense the possibility. Since awakening something inside him had fundamentally shifted. He could tell that he had changed in some fashion, but wasn't of a mood to determine what that was just yet.

He allowed himself to entertain a passing fancy. That fancy turned into the words from the song mentioned previously running through his mind.

As he thought of them, he felt them begin to resonate with him, in a way similar to when he used his two spells. The words.. they had some kind of power now!

It would be a truly desperate gamble, even more so than with his black metal spell. What other options did they have?

He let the words of the song resonate with his inner voice, building the power within him to a peak point and then following some unknowable reason he sang out,

~Exit.. light.. in the night.~

Immediately he knew he had to sing the next part if it was to include the girls. The man could actually feel himself reaching out with his spirit to encompasse that of the two girls while he continued on.

~Take.. my hand..~

A flare of light erupted around him as the sound of a high end electric guitar screamed in the air about him. The power he was calling upon had taken on a decidedly overt tone, reminiscent of a rock concert.

A wild array of red, black, and blue strobes shot out in a kaleidoscope of colors as he finished his spell casting.

~Off to nevah nevah land..~

He could briefly hear an incomprehensible scream of disbelief from the youma that occurred at the very same moment all the strobing lights turned into one brillant cone of luminescence that disrupted the force bubble just long enough to whisk the three injured and drained people off to some distant locale.

Had Scott been more coherent and knowledgeable he could have chosen the location. Unfortunately he wasn't and the trip wound up appearing three feet up in the air, above a thick patch of briars just outside the neighboring provincial town of Randy Oaks.

They were each too drained and weak to do much except lie there for the hour and a half it took for a wandering officerjenny to come along and find them. Scott felt her hands on his chest like a hammer blow and snapped his eyes open painfully.

She moved her head back in shock at his intense, but childlike gaze and asked him, "Sir.. what happened here?"

He was having a hard time formulating an answer at first but as she started to pull away to check his injuries again, his hand snaked out to grasp her wrist with surprising force. He earnest pleaded with silent eyes for her to believe the words he was about to say..."The metal.. it spoke to me.."

The police pokegirl tried to remove her arm but the grip was too tight. She didn't want to hurt the man, but found his intense pleading eyes unnerving..

The noon day sun rose steadily into the sky as its light shined brightly down upon that bramble cluttered clearing. It shined without concern on the frightened pokegirl and the man with the wild pleading eyes.

----

Whelp, there's another chapter for you. I hope you despise it as much as much as I disliked writing it!

or perhaps.. the exact opposite of that statement.


	22. Aftermath

Behold my glory.. or not.. please enjoy this long overdue chapter! Only few more to go in this volume!

----

The older man shook softly as he peered through his monocular lens. It was still a few hours before the dawn would be upon them. A short nerve racking time until the hoard would come again. Every day now, like clock work the ravenous unending swarm would fall upon them in all its terrible glory.

For Jack 'Pops' Mckenzie and his nephew James Krackzenburg, Krackle to his friends, this was a living nightmare that never seemed to end. They had already lost a man, Johny Snaspwalder, some people called him 'Snap'.

"We have to do something! Everyday it's the same thing.." said James with vehement anger. He remember all too well how Johny had fallen trying to stop the hungry ones. It was 'their' fault.

Jack sighed tiredly and shook his head. "What can we do.. "

James ground out a soft curse and shook his head. "We fight back! We can't let them keep doing this!"

"With what?! Huh? They're everywhere.. and we can't do anything but just sit here and take it!" snapped out the older man irately.  
James growled at his uncle and snorted. Without Johny it wasn't the same.

It just wasn't the same.

"Damn them.. why here.. why do they have to come HERE!" snarled James again finally. They were just a branch of the company line. They were but a simple franchise. Why did all of them come after them?

"I don't know.. I wish they'd just go to hell on!" cried out Jack before a coughing fit came upon him. His health hadn't been that great of late and he wanted to leave all of his many years of bakery knowledge to his only remaining heir before the disease coursing through his body killed him. Some things even healing magic couldn't fix.

"Wishing won't solve anything pops! We.. we have to fight back.. like Johny.." replied James heatedly.

"What good did it do him?! Huh..? What good did it do!" railed the older man at his nephew.

"At least he tried! That's all we can do.." continued to press James.

"Bah..! It's over.. just let it go.. James..What would you have me do." sighed the man in defeat.

James sighed tiredly but not long after a fire began to burn in his eyes as he remembered that fateful day.. the day the elves came out of the trees. They just came out of the trees man.

"We bake." He said finally with decisive tones in his voice. He raised his head to gaze levelly with his uncle. "We bake for Snap."  
His uncle looked at James incredulously as the younger man's hand came forward in front of him. The resolve in the man's eyes rekindled the fire within Jack's breast as well. His hand moved forward to strongly join with his nephew's in a firm and hearty handshake.

"For Snap." said Jack.

"For Snap." replied James once more.

Ten miles away, in an average hospital room a young man was laying in his bed, one arm and one leg in separate casts. His nose began to itch and then he sneezed. It was an action that startled the Nursejoy that was giving him a sponge bath.

"Oh my.. are you alright sir?" she inquired before squishing her yellow square of mercy.

"Ya know.. I think I am.." murmured the man with a smile. Whether it was because he had the sudden warm feeling that someone was thinking of him or the fact that this particular pink haired pokegirl was buck naked and attending to his needs no one would ever know.

Chapter 22: Mars Attacks!

"So you're saying that the bus was trapped?" inquired Aaron as he spoke to Scott over the vid phone. It had taken three days before the man had awakened and during that time the group had been very despondent about not knowing what had become of them.

"Yeah, if we get another chance at that damned thing we're going to have to just trash it and hopefully that will get the youma inside as well."

Informed the man from his bed. He was conferencing from his room due to the fact that he was still too tired currently to really move around.

The damage from the backlash of his black metal spell combined with the utilization of his new ability to teleport had nearly killed him. It wasn't an unusual situation for the man, far too common really, still he hadn't come this close since that first youma had put him under for nearly a month.

His first thoughts had been of Rei and the girl that might be Ami Mizuno.

They had turned out to be fine if a bit tired. Rei had been granted an emergency taming by the Nursejoy on duty at the time to keep her from going feral. She had been very close to the line, and even with repeated hot lesbian pokegirl action she had only managed to roll back the ferality clock a few days at best.

That wasn't too shocking really. The thing that had perplexed Scott was that while the young girl was indeed Ami Mizuno, she had turned out to be human. A naturally blue haired human female. Certainly she had plenty of pokegirl DNA, but she was not currently thresholding or showing any signs of such.

A female with a 'blood curse' that hadn't thresholded yet. That was considered almost as peculiar as his genetics were.

It did make sense, however. While he hadn't found anything about the girls in general from searching the league databases, except tidbits about Serena from time to time when douchebag Henry had still claimed her, he had never thought to search the records for human beings.

Once he discovered she was human he simply looked her up in the public records section and she was found readily. It had a home address, general biological information, a copy of her finger prints and various other items of interest. Humans required a lot of information to be kept on record because they needed medical care that most pokegirls wouldn't.

It seemed she was a local cram school student living in Randy Oaks. She was taking the extra classes while saving up money to go to college.

Despite an IQ that registered at around three hundred; she didn't qualify for any of the human scholarships because of her genetic 'flaw'. No one wanted to waste money on someone that would likely become nothing more than a walking sextoy within the next few years.

The classes kept her mind filled with information and her sights focused on her goals. She wanted to become a doctor like her mother had.

Though she outwardly considered the practice of praying for success in school as being silly superstition, inwardly she had a romantic soul and longed for a bit of mysticism in her boring life. She had gone to the shrine that day for a few charms and to make a donation, but would up being seated on a bus that drained her for days on end. How she had not died was a mystery, but at present she was recovering nicely.

"Yes, that does make sense. Do you want us to rendezvous with you there or wait for your group to rejoin us here?" inquired the much older man.

Scott considered it a moment but was unable to answer him readily as an angry dark elf slammed the door to his room open and walked in with a look on her face that could have cut glass.

"Uh.. hi.. P-chan.." began Scott. He was rudely cut short by an icy  
"Don't you hi P-chan me. You don't call for weeks at a time.. I'm kept out of the loop and you're in the hospital.. once again…"

Scott wisely kept his mouth shut for a moment as the irate researcher went about checking his vitals in a perfunctory manner then turned to look at him as though he were a specimen on a petri dish. "Seems everything is in order here. I suppose I should head back and continue being left out of your activities?"

The man winced inwardly but outwardly he gazed up at her softly but did not speak. After a minute of this she frowned at him and asked, "Well..?"

He continued to gaze softly at her and tilted his head a little as if truly thinking of something thoughtful to say.

Another minute or so passed and she began to bite her bottom lip a little. His silence was unnerving her. She was mad at him dammit! How can he just lie there and look at her with those big stupid cow eyes of his..

Yet, despite her righteous anger he just continued to lie there in his hospital bed and look at her. Maybe she was being a little harsh?

Her angry resolve began to fade under the simple innocence of his soft look and finally she said, "Well.. then.." before turning away from him a little. 'What's wrong with me.. He's laying here hurt and I'm berating him like I'm his mother!' she thought angrily to herself.

His gaze softened a little and then turned into a tender smile. A faint redness brushed across her nose before she mumbled about getting him something to drink.

Scott nodded ever so softly and did his best to look cute and helpless. Her blush widened and she scurried out, her mental and emotional state confused for the moment. She was still mad at him, but couldn't bring herself to express it.

"How..?" asked Aaron curiously. That had been beyond his ken. Even as long as he had lived he had never met a man that could change a woman's mind when she was that angry.

The younger man shrugged. "Ancient American secret.. when in doubt shut up and look adorable."

Aaron smirked at that and shook his head. That was one of many reasons he enjoyed being in the company of his current knight trainee. There was always something new to learn.

"I think we'll come there. Be careful man. I'll explain some stuff in depth when we get there. It's not something I want to broadcast over an unsecured line." Informed Scott.

"I understand. I'll let the others know you two are safe. I know Miss Nei has been beside herself with worry." A loud feminine snort in the background betrayed Arshes presence in the area a split second after the man uttered his fateful words.

After the comm. link faded Scott leaned back in bed and relaxed for a moment until a thought occurred to him. Why had Analise shown up as her real self? Normally outside of her home she wore the guise of Analise Ophun the researcher.

When she returned he asked her about that.

"What do you mean? I'm wearing my illusion perfectly." Said Analise as she looked herself over. She knew what she really looked like but the dull sheen of magic her trained senses could perceive due to being inside the illusion itself was in place.

"Uh.. no.. no you're not. That is.. unless it's your plan to be a perfectly attractive dark elf hottie pretending to be a pokegirl researcher?" informed Scott as he clutched his skull and rubbed his temples. He'd begun having migraines of late since he had awakened in the hospital yet again.

Pirotessa blinked at him and then hmmed curiously. The dark elf turned researcher walked to the bathroom in the area and checked the full length mirror on the door to see if the light was reflecting her properly. In the mirror she saw Analise Ophun in all her curvaceous glory.

"Are you joking? My guise is perfect." inquired the unnerved dark elf.

Scott shook his head. "Not to me. If you're wearing it i'm not seeing it."

Pirotessa frowned at him at little and considered the ramifications of that. A short time later she began focusing her mind on an illusory spell and then cast it upon a nearby table. Her intent was to make it look like a loaf of bread was sitting there.

"Tell me.. what is that object there on the table?" she asked him curiously. The pokegirl researcher was interested to see what he'd say.

"What object?" he asked her with knit brows. His lips skewed slightly in conjunction to his eyebrows giving the impression that he was concentrating.

"The bread.. the loaf of bread sitting on the table!" she exclaimed while pointing at an empty section of the table.

"Um.. no.. no loaf of bread.." he said in a mildly apologetic tone. To his eyes there was nothing on the table, though when he settled his gaze upon the spot she was gesturing at he felt a strange tightness in his eyes.

"Hmm.. wait right here." commanded the dark elf researcher. Scott shrugged and simply accepted it. Where was he going to go anyway?

P-chan left the room and returned a few minutes later with a nursejoy. Once inside the room she simply asked the pokegirl to tell her what was sitting on the table.

"Um.. a loaf of bread?" asked the nursejoy in confusion. What kind of request was that? She had rounds to make and this was a waste of time.

Scott's patron nodded to herself and then back up at Scott. Her powers were working. Either Scott was toying with her, a distinct possibility, or he was somehow immune to her illusions.

"Thank you. I simply needed to verify something. Your aid was appreciated." informed the dark elf hottie in human guise. The nursejoy smiled in tired confusion and shook her head before heading back to her rounds.

"You really can't see the bread?" asked the dark elven female. The idea that her illusions were that easy to foil by him was unnerving. It made a certain sort of sense if it was true. He did have a particularly solid talent for knowing the impossible. Still, knowing something and being immune or resistant to illusory magic was not the same thing.

"No.. I ...don't see any bread P-chan."

Scott frowned at this. Either she was toying with him, a distinct possibility, or he was actively seeing through illusions.

"When did this ability to be immune to illusion start?" she asked with a frown. There was so much he didn't tell her nowadays.

"I didn't know it had till now..." he admitted with a dumbfounded expression writ upon his face. Just how many abilities would he wind up with? He had been getting stronger of late some of his spells changing to become easier to use, for instance, and his slightly beyond Olympic level athletic prowess.

Pirotessa nodded then tapped her chin in thought. "What has happened recently? Tell me everything.."

Scott nodded to her in kind and took a deep breath before beginning his story. He started with the conflict with the parasyte at the shrine and moved forward detailing his initial meeting with Rei, some of the activities around the shrine area, and then reached the point of what happened on the bus. When he got to the part about being knocked unconscious by his own power and ending up in a strange mental plane of darkness her eyes widened curiously. He'd mentioned having strange dreams on occasion but he had never gone into real detail about them.

As he explained about hearing the "metal" speak she widened her eyes in surprise and shook her head. It sounded like some kind of deity had taken him under its wing. Though it was just as likely that he had simply been made aware of his own slumbering power and the meeting on that mental plane of existence was just a method for his injured body and spirit to understand the awakening process. There was no real way to know yet.

"So, you can teleport now?" she finally asked him as his story settled within her mind.

"I'm not sure. My memory is incredibly clear and my mind is very focused and sharp since coming to this world, but that is still a little fuzzy for me. I know I had to have been transported somehow, but I don't know if I did it or something else did on my behalf." admitted Scott in confusion.

"We'll have to run some tests soon.." stated the dark elven researcher with a pointed stare. This wasn't a request and Scott knew it.

"Kinky." stated the man in a half sarcastic manner.

P-chan rolled her eyes but Scott didn't miss the very slight smile that creased her features. If he didn't know better he'd think she actually had missed him.

----

Ami blushed as her mother continued to fuss over her. She was a doctor at this very hospital and had immediately come into work when she'd gotten a call that her daughter had been found.

"I'm fine, really." explained Ami as her mother offered to get her some soup and fluff her pillow. The girl had explained about the bus as best she could. She'd been surprised to learn that she had been rescued by a knight of the league. Apparently that bus had been kidnapping a lot of people from the neighboring towns in the last few months but no one could ever convince the league to do something about it.

"I doubt that. You've been gone for almost a month!" exclaimed her mother as she frowned at her daughter.

"I.. don't know. I just felt very weak. I never really got hungry or thirsty and then I fell asleep and woke up here." explained the girl. Her mother decided that whatever had been siphoning off her life energy had probably kept her alive so that it could continually harvest from her.

"Hmm.." considered Doctor Mizuno as she thought about her daughter's situation. She hadn't broken the bad news to her yet. Her lack of attendance at her cram school had caused them to remove her from the rolls. She didn't have the money to send her daughter to college despite her profession. Between her late husband's outstanding debts from his time as a wandering tamer, the rent, and other general life issues she only have enough to pay for half of her daughter's education. The girl would have to come up with the rest on her own. Unfortunately jobs outside of the adult industry were hard to come by for blood cursed females.

---

"So, um.." began Rei as she sat down on a chair near Scott's bedside. The catgirl wasn't sure what to say to the man. He'd saved her life but his plan had threatened it in the first place. She couldn't help but feel a certain begrudging respect for him for being able to get them out alive, however. Then there was the other feelings that were cropping up. Best not to think about those, however.

Scott nodded. Things had been awkward for them in the hour since P-chan had wandered off to check over some of his test results. She'd been introduced to Rei and there had been a strange sort of emnity there. If Scott hadn't of been better informed her would have thought they were jealous of each other. Neither one of them was particularly interested in him of course, so that couldn't be the case.

"Rei, I'm sorry." Scott finally admitted as he gazed at the blushing girl's profile. Rei blinked and turned to him in confusion for a moment before asking, "Sorry..?"

"I let my hubris get the best of me. I nearly got us killed. I put the mission in danger by overstepping my bounds. I forget sometimes that I am inherently the squishy one on the team."

"Wha.. oh.. that.. No you didn't.." she began but Scott cut her off with a shake of his head.

"The truth is I have been in the "limelight" too much. I try to fight from the front and normally do fairly well even if I end up in the hospital a lot. However... I shouldn't be the one leading this group."

"What are you talking about..? You're their master! Of course you're the leader!" she exclaimed in queried surprise.

Scott shook his head. "I am the master of the group, but that doesn't mean I should be the battle leader. It simply means I can veto plans if they sound stupid and offer my advice on how to proceed. The truth is it isn't my place to lead you girls."

"Us girls.. including me in your harem now hmm?" she asked with a snarky tone. Was he finally showing his true colors and trying to claim her?

"I don't have a harem. I have friends that I can help in their struggles. You are a participant in a war to save this planet from the threat that killed off your race ten thousand years ago."

"My race..? But.. you aren't talking about pokegirls are you?" she asked him with a bemused expression on her face. This conversation was going further and further into a strange and unusual place she knew nothing about.

"No.. not pokegirls. I don't doubt there are some realities where pokegirls have been around since the beginning of time. This isn't one of those though."

"Wha.. what do you mean then..?"

Scott was about to speak up then thought better of it. "I should explain all this when we meet up with the others back at the shrine. There's no sense in trying to tell the story twice when I need to focus on what exactly to say."

Rei frowned at him and shook her head in annoyance. Typical guy move. He got her all excited then took his ball and went home.

"We need to go see if we can get Ami to join us and head over there soon anyway." sighed out Scott with a bit of post hospitalization angst. He really hated being in the hospital it always reminded him that he was the weak link in the group chain.

"Wha.. Ami? Why would she go with us?"

"Yes, why would my daughter be going with you Sir?" asked Saeko Mizuno as she walked into the room. In a stereotypical move that smacked of poor writing in certain types of fictive narratives she had been on the way to see the knight that had rescued her daughter so that she might thank him in person.

Scott blinked over at the equally blue haired woman and nodded. "Would you believe it's a league secret?"

"I certainly would. I would also still like to know what that secret might be." she replied in kind with a curious quirk of the eyebrows that caused her beautifully sculpted features to take on an intriguing appearance. No wonder Ami was so cute, her mother was a total MILF.

Scott frowned and tried to consider how to answer that. Finally he hit upon a train of thought and decided to run with it even if it made him feel like a jerk. "It might not be safe to discuss it here. Can you please bring her to the Hickey-wa Shrine in a day or two? It is important for the safety of the league and the planet as a whole."

"Wha.. Now see here I want to know what.."

Scott snapped out, "That was not a request despite the pleasantries. Your daughter is quite possibly one of the only beings capable of saving the planet. She will be at the hickey-wa shrine in two days."

Doctor Mizuno took an involuntary step back and seemed as though she wanted to argue. After she collected her thoughts and recalled the rank of the individual before her she grew a little pale and nodded meekly even if her face continued to show signs that she was forcing herself to bite her tongue.

The man sighed softly. "Look, your questions will be answered then. To be honest I just don't want to discuss it right now since I want to tell everyone involved all at once. You will recall that I asked you nicely to bring her there. This means I am including you in the debriefing. That is.. unless you feel you aren't trustworthy enough to know a secret that could well affect the entirety of the planet and the safety of the remaining sentient life upon it?"

The blue haired medical practitioner blinked and grew even paler as the ramifications of that statement began to hit home. Whatever this was it was serious business.

"I..i.. two days?"

Scott nodded and agreed with her. "Two days."

The good doctor fidgeted a little and then whispered, "Thank you.." before slipping out of the room. Her mind was reeling and she needed to go speak to her daughter.

"What in the world was that about?" asked Rei in shock. She'd never seen Scott act so.. forceful. Even in sparring he always seemed to be a bit of a goofball. It was such a strange way for him to act.. almost as strange as the way her tail had begun to wriggle in her seat.

"I needed to get Ami to the shrine. As much as I hate sounding like a jerk barking orders it seemed to work. Besides I need to make a few more phone calls now. If one parent is getting involved the I need to locate another set that are long overdue for a family meeting."

Rei blinked then lightly bit her lip and flushed cutely as Scott crawled out of bed.. naked.. and walked over to his clothes lying near the vid phone in the hospital room. He had the decorum to put his clothes on before actually dialing up the people he intended to call.

As far as he knew none of the other girls had parents to contact. Makoto was an orphan and Minako hadn't really confided much in him about her past. Considering she was able to speak english well it was unlikely that she was born feral.

He decided then and there that he had to ask her more about her past. He'd heard her mumble something about the blue league once in her sleep but hadn't really seemed too inclined to discuss her past whenever she was awake.

He looked up the people he was searching for on the listing pages and found them. A few seconds later the phone was ringing and a face he hadn't seen since his first days in the world showed up on the phone.

"Hello Mrs. Tsukino."

"Um... Hello.. who..?" she began. The man on the other end of the phone seemed vaguely familiar to her.

"Sorry to have been such a poor associate. I am calling to inform you that I found and retrieved your daughter some time ago. We'd all been incredibly busy with our mission.. and your emotional scarring slipped my mind until now."

"Wha.. my.. Serena! You found Serena?!" she exclaimed excitedly with shock creeping into her voice. She had worried herself sick over her missing daughter for many months now. She knew the girl was the property of a cruel man and it had upset her greatly.

"Yes Ma'am. She is doing well, but if you would like to speak with her in person you can come to the Hickey-wa Shrine in two days. You could also call her there now. She might be there. I'm not sure what she's doing as my group is currently separated and will be rejoining shortly." informed Scott in as friendly and professional a voice as possible. He wanted to stress the fact that she had been removed from her abusive situation and try not to remind her that she had been safe for a while and had not been contacted.

"I can.. I can call her? She's ok! My baby's ok.." sniffled the woman before she broke down into happy sobs of relief. Every tear and snuffle both inflicted pain on Scott as well as instilled joy. He was happy to see her nightmare was over. That is.. it was over until she found out what kind of mess her daughter would be in.

The two talked for a few more minutes with Scott assuring her of the safety of her daughter then the call ended. Rei sniffled a little in the background and hugged herself. Her own parents were gone and it made her wonder what it would be like without her grandfather and her great grampy Aaron.

Pirotessa walked back into the room then with a knit brows and a data sheet in her hand. Apparently she'd found something curious.

"Scott.. What the hell are you?" she asked him quickly. Her sheet had shown that he had physical prowess that was a bit beyond what would be expected and signs of strange minerals and genetic mutation. Whatever he was it wasn't normal.

"Lucky to have you in my life?" he inquired with a beaming smile. The dark elven researcher glared at him. This was not a time for jokes.

"You aren't biologically human anymore.. at least not entirely.." she began.

Scott shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you P-chan. My biology is fucked up. I thought we both knew this. What did you find?"

She sighed and then stared down at her sheet. Rei looked at her then at Scott trying to understand what the fuss was about. Didn't he just have a few weird bloodgifts that made him really strong? She'd assumed it when she had noticed him lifting those big rocks. Bloodgifts weren't that uncommon afterall.

Pirotessa frowned. "Honestly, I don't know..it's.. You're.. you have an extra chromosome!"

Scott blinked at her. "I have a what? How the hell can that be? I could see my DNA getting magically fried but that sounds more like evolution that mutation.."

"That's just it! I think you are evolving. It's.. I don't know how to explain it. You're human and you're not human."

"Kinda like the difference between homosapiens neanderthalis and homo sapiens sapiens?" he inquired softly.

"What.. no.. no.. that.. well maybe.. but.. I don't know. I just want to know what you are."

Scott smiled softly at her with wide sincere eyes. "I'm your friend P-chan. Anything else is just cosmetic."

The dark elf snorted. "If you're not going to take this seriously.."

"I have twenty-four chromosomes. What is there to laugh about? Who the hell knows what's gonna happen to me. Will I even be able to accept blood transfusions in the future? Can I even tame pokegirls?"

Rei blinked at that last part and asked, "Why wouldn't you be able to tame pokegirls?"

"The only creatures that can tame pokegirls are humans, kami, and other pokegirls. I don't think i'm a god.. I have no pokegirl genes.. and my biological humanity is in question..."

Pirotessa shook her head. "All the genome markers that allow for pokegirl taming still exist. You're still human.. just.. a different branch of the evolutionary line."

"Kinda like how horses and donkeys can breed...?" asked Scott curiously.

"Um.. no.. well.. maybe.. I don't know..!" cried out P-chan in frustration. There was so much she didn't know about her boyf.. um associate underling.

"Hmm.. I wonder if I'm the horse or the donkey?" he queried to himself lightly. Inside he was a seething sea of doubt and confusion however. He wanted to know what was happening just as much as anyone else. He'd been wondering what he was himself for a while now.

"Maybe you're just an ass?" asked Rei snidely but with a tiny hint of concern.

Scott snorted at her then answered sweetly. "Why you asking.. feel the need to tap me? Go ahead.. but please... be gentle.."

The catgirl rolled her eyes at the overly attempted joke and let it go. There was too much going on to continue that sort of banter.

The three conversed back and forth for a few minutes about this new development before Scott asked Pirotessa, "Hey P-chan.. you should come to the shrine in two days. There's something important I need to tell everyone.. and I know how you hate being left out."

"Oh.. what is so important that you have to actually tell me about it.. I'm always the last to know after all." she asked with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"The truth. I am going to tell everyone the truth... as I know it." he said without his customary corniness. His serious tone got her attention and she nodded.

"Alright.. since you wish to include I shall join you then.. Why bring me in on it now?" she asked with a slightly hurt tone. She hadn't realized just how much it had bothered her that Scott had seemed to simply disregard her other than random phone calls for status updates.

Scott saw her standing there and the tone of her voice broke something inside of him. He blurted out a statement that he had no business speaking without thinking. "P-chan.. Ashram was.. a lucky guy to have someone so loyal in his life.. I'm sorry if I've hurt you in recent months.."

Her eyes flew wide in shock and her face grew pale. "How... how.. did.. no.. you couldn't.. no one knows but Deedlit.. no one.."

Scott winced at his stupidity then shook his head. "I'm.. I'll explain everything at the shrine..You know some of it already."

Pirotessa turned away from him as slow hot tears began to slip along her cheeks. The dark elf nodded slightly and then left the room without another word. Scott's attempt at an apology had opened old wounds that she had thought healed long ago.

"Who's Ashram?" asked Rei after the dimensionally relocated dark elf left the room.

"A better man than I Rei.... A better man than I.." stated Scott cryptically before flopping down in a nearby chair and pressing his face into his hands. Why did everything he did of late end up turning to shit?

----  
AN: Sorry about the several months of wait!

Well.. its been quite a while since I updated and I do apologize. I've been incredibly busy with other pokegirl stories on the wasteland site as well as my full time job as an online article writer and helping my mother with her new flea market snack booth. In short.. it's been a busy few months and I do apologize for neglecting my readers.

Feel free to hate on me!


	23. Choices

Inside the chambers of the queen of the negaverse a dark ritual was occurring. Beryl was once again contacting Mettalica the embodiment of the negaforce, a dark alien intelligence that desired to engulf all of life and leave it nothing but a broken husk. However, the negaforce that is Metallica was not responding. Something was distracting this ancient destructively aggressive intelligence and it could not be bothered with a mere vessel.

Someone, somewhere, was drawing on a rival's power and the creature doing so must be stopped soon lest its hated foe should awaken and all of the elder being of hatred's plans would be in jeopardy.

Eventually Beryl gave up trying to contact her master. The Negaforce was not answering and this was most disconcerting. The only thing she could think of was that she had somehow angered the mighty spirit of chaos. Shit rolled downhill and as such she immediately began seeking someone else to blame for her failures. The only name that came to her cruel yet kissably soft crimson lips was, "JEDITE!"

The general snapped into her presence almost immediately as the call of his name was worse than a summons. The call was a command to appear and he had no choice but to do so. His very existence was bound up within the power that Beryl possessed. He was nothing but her puppet no different than the other converts from the old Earth Kingdoms. When the planet had fallen each of those who remained behind had been reanimated as walking corpses empowered by the negaforce.

Underneath even the prettiest youma veneer was nothing more than corruption and hatred. The souls of the fallen were locked away behind nigh impenetrable mental walls that few even bothered to try and pierce anymore. In short, they had a semblence of free will and acted as though they had minds of their own but truly did not. They were but the tentacles of a great evil octopus; no more, no less.

"Yes, my queen.. I.."

"SILENCE! Report Jedite..Tell me you have succeeded in gathering the necessary energy I required of you!" snapped Beryl hatefully. She knew full well that he had not, but ultimately this didn't matter. She had to lay the blame somewhere.

"Queen Beryl.. not yet I.." began Jedite with uncertainty as he had no idea of which command to obey. It was generally difficult to be both silent and to report at the same time. He was cut off abruptly by a lashing wave of energy that sent him flying backward with brutal force to slam into the obsidian colored wall of his queen's chamber. The power of the blow was enough to send flourescent green blood flying from his lips to splatter onto the floor several feet away.

Jedite's vision began to fade in and out as more waves of force lanced into him. This time they were accompanied by necrotic powers that ripped and tore at his body while causing it to flare with pain.

The air erupted out of him with one short scream as flesh began to tear and shred along with his formerly clean and pressed general's uniform. The general could not even scream anymore as he hung there flattened against the wall with no capacity to even attempt to defend himself. The power of the queen was too much for any mere general, and he found himself in a position that was becoming all too familiar of late.

An hour would pass with intermittent questions and bouts of lashing force and ripping winds. Jedite was chastised severely for his lack of effect, even though his primary energy centers had been bringing in power on a steady basis. Queen Beryl cared not about this. He had failed in his latest large effort energy draining scheme and revealed his hand.

It was not until be babbled out a half sobbed, "The knight.. that damned knight.." that Beryl took interest. She remembered hearing him bellyaching once or twice about some armored warrior and his band that had stop a few of his schemes. Most of his plans continued unabated but they were of lower quality energy wise. It was his big expenditures that seemed to fail frequently and she would know why.

"Who is this knight you speak of Jedite.. What mere human fool can withstand the power I have granted you for the glory of the negaverse?" asked the queen casually.

Jedite whimpered softly in his pain as he slid slowly down the wall to settle on his blood drenched ass. The green life fluids pooled around him in his pain and terror. He was in no condition to continue speaking.

Beryl seeing this snorted out, "Worthless waste of skin aren't you.. still.. you have gained my curiosity. Show me this knight of yours Jedite.. SHOW ME!"

The fallen general cried out in agony as his mind was ruthlessly and thoroughly invaded by his queen. He was nothing but a tool, a resource for her and the negaverse, even his mind was not his own. Normally she didn't bother to insinuate her will into the mind's of her minions as such and allowed them their petty schemes. It kept them at each other's throats while preventing them from thinking they could ever unite and challenge her. If they did she would be forced to slaughter them out of hand and it was ever so difficult to empower proper generals.

As she raped his mind for any reasonably useful information she saw the course of the last year and all the successful missions Jedite had accomplished. He hadn't truly been failing at all, at least at the basic plots and plans. However, each of his major schemes seemed to have been thwarted in one way or another and in several of them a single figure continually arrived to cause trouble.

Through the eyes of his fallen minions he had witnessed the struggles and the failures of his creations. He had been slowly working on a plan to capture this knight and as the months passed it became clear that it was a slow and methodical one. That was how Jedite operated as she recalled. He was the true tactician among her generals.

Nephrite was lost in the stars, Zoicite was a raving pervert, and Kunzite had changed his name to Malachite and started collecting power pokegirls for no purpose she could see other than to drain them and try to absorb their powers for his own. He hadn't really succeeded beyond improving his physical strength greatly, but then again he had always been the strongest of her generals. Power mattered more than tactics to him.

Jedite, and only Jedite unstood true cunning. The others were intelligent and crafty but it was her darling Jedite that knew how to properly scheme. It was the reason he was in charge of the current energy gathering operations after all. His plans were solid and rarely failed.

However, this knight that continually appeared seemed to stop his major gambits at every turn. Yes he and his group deserved some close attention int he futre.

Beryl would not know how close that attention must be until she came to her general's most recent memories. On the bus she saw an image that caused her blood to first run cold and then slowly begin to heat. Her heart began to beat faster and her saliva dried within her mouth momentarily before it flowed warm and wet against her tongue.

A single word came to her lips with a disbelieving half-moaned sigh "Nocturne.."

She blinked away the dreamy look that stole across her face as she began to cast her features into a tightly pinched visage. Hatred turned her beautiful face into the image of scorn and contempt.

"Impossible! Nocturne is still imprisoned... he is mine.. he can't be free in the world!" she snapped out imperiously.

She watched in anger as he regarded the two unconscious women with him and seemed to gaze thoughfully at them in concern before turning back toward the youma Jedite had crafted for the mission.

"That.. that... he is MINE! MINE MINE MINE!" railed the queen of the negaverse as black lightning erupted from her clenched fists to strike randomly around the chamber.

She removed herself from Jedite's mind and left him drooling in a puddle of his own blood while she walked over to her viewing orb on a pillow topped dais. Her hands flew across it and her hair began to lift up and away as she focused on her crystalline sphere in a bid to locate what she sought.

A few moments passed and then she saw it. There was a figure of a man entombed in a glacier not far from her location at the North Pole. Nocturne still resided there, his body cold and pure. No, that was not Nocturne she had been witnessing. Nocturne was not dead, but suspended cryogenically with magic in the ice. He probably would not survive thawing but that did not matter, no one could ever touch him again.. and only she could gaze upon his perfection. After all... she was his number one fan..

-  
Chapter 23: Choices

----

Serena sang happily as she danced around the courtyard steps. She had spoken to her mother the day before and both of her parents were coming to see her. Apparently her master was making some big announcement and he was inviting everyone that would be involved.

She had given up hope of ever speaking to her mother and father again and hadn't felt it was right to ask her master to take her there. She knew he would probably say yes if she asked, but they were so busy what with trying to protect the world from devestation and all.

"She seems happy." said Minako with a smile as twin sets of tears trickled down her cheeks. Artemis patted her with a paw and nodded. "Yeah.. it's good for her to see her parents."

Minako nodded. She knew she had them but couldn't remember anything about them except for the fact that a few years ago she had been living in the blue league. She didn't know their names or if they were even alive. For that matter she didn't know if they'd care to talk to her even if they were.

Makoto stopped sweeping to glanced over at Minako. She knew how rough it was to lose your parents. At least she remembered hers though. The sound of her broom starting up again began to skrtch through the morning air. It promised to be an interesting day.

----

"So, you're saying that there are no shorter routes to the shrine than that?" asked Scott to a local guide. They had been trying to discover the quickest way back to the shrine but unfortunately they were on the wrong side of the mountain. Only the cavern route would get them there in time for their meeting the next day.

The merchant nodded to them and fidgeted. Scott took this to mean there was something he wasn't telling them. He sighed softly and asked, "Fine.. what's wrong with the cavern route?"

"Sir.. I..I.. there is some kind of strange beast in there.. people claim it isn't even a pokegirl.." began the old man before he quieted himself and looked away.

"Beast?" inquired Pirotessa curiously. There were occasional monsters that showed up in this world but most real threats were pokegirls. Few creatures she was aware of would be a credible threat to such people.

The old man nodded worriedly. "We posted a bill at the adventurer's guild and another at the pokecenter.. but no one that's gone in there in the last month has come out again.."

"Geeze.. just what we need.. a boss monster side quest." sighed Scott outloud. Rei and Pirotessa stared at him strangely for a moment as the old man acquired a confused look.

"Yes.. um.. well the beast it.. it well.." continued the old man.

"It what?" asked Pirotessa just so she could get the man moving along. They had a schedule to keep.

"Well.. it, the beast that is.. it seems.. well.. statues.. there are a great deal of statues at the front of the cavern." informed the man.

"Statues.. what the monster is an artist?" asked Rei curiously.

Scott shook his head. He doubted that. There were any number of monsters in fiction and mythology that could turn someone to stone. Pirotessa actually voiced that fact a moment later causing the pokegirl's eyes to widen in shock.

"Are we going to have to fight something like that?!" she asked fearfully and in shock. That didn't sound like anything she wanted to deal with, even if the thing needed to pay for what it had done to all those people.

Pirotessa and Rei both looked at Scott and he frowned. With knit brows and a frustrated anger growing on his face he nodded slowly. He knew they'd have to try and deal with it if they were going to make it on time. He could reschedule but if he did he'd never live down leaving whatever it was in the caverns alive to kill more travelers. His idiotic sense of duty was likely to get them all killed.

"We'll have to go to the guild shop to see if they have any supplies. As much as I hate parting with funds we are going to need equipment." stated Scott with finality.

"Equipment?" asked Pirotessa.

Scott nodded at her and began walking away. The sooner they went shopping, the sooner they could be off to their possible doom once again.

A few minutes later Scott and Pirotessa were down in the underground shopping center of the guild. Rei had been balled since she was a pokegirl and couldn't be allowed to run free despite her protests.

"What kind of equipment are you looking for?" inquired Pirotessa.

"Protective magics and the like. As far as I know there aren't any pokegirls or magical spells commonly known on this world that can petrify. It's a glaring omission in the part of the magic of the world."

The dark elf in human guise nodded at him. "True, there is not likely to be anything useful against that here."

"Yeah, that's why i'm looking for things that will improve resistance against earth and ground based special attacks, psychic ability, and magic in general. It's not much but it's probably going to be necessary."

"Hmm..too bad you can't use that teleportation spell of yours to simply takes us to the shrine."

"Yeah... but.."

"I know.. you'd still want to find out what's in the cavern. Fine, i'll help you look."

Nearly an hour passed as they shopped and Scott was growing frustrated. None of the items for sale here was of use beyond the simplest utilitarian spells. The item selection in this town was greatly lacking compared to old town.

Eventually he settled on three copper bracers that nullified Ground and Rock element special attacks while slightly increasing general magic resistance and a few restorative items that were cited as being as good as the "Esuna" spell. Hopefully it would eliminate petrification if it happened.

He also purchased some shield bracelets. These were magical items that generated a field around the wearer's body that acted as a mystic shield against damage. These were the strongest the shop had for sale and were cited as granting a defense rating equivalent to reinforced leather armor. It wouldn't stop most pokegirl attacks but it would weaken incidental damage and might work to help defend against other threats and close calls.

In total it set him back a tidy sum of money but he felt this was necessary. He couldn't afford a new set of armor similar to his old one and provide for his companions as well so he did what he could for the three of them. Unfortunately the guild shop in this town was out of firearms as well and he didnt want to purchase a bow.

It seemed with the recent trouble from monsters and youma alike human being were buying up firearms in record numbers even if they weren't always the most effective weapon. Even if they weren't the best tool around they were still far better than a stick or hiding in a closet.

"Just out of curiosity why aren't we contacting the others to let them know we're coming through the mountains?" asked Pirotessa in the guise of Analise.

Scott winced and replied, "They would try to join us.. There's no way to know how that would turn out, even if it seems like a good idea to hit this thing in the caverns from both ends."

She nodded at him even if she wasn't sure she agreed with his logic. It seemed to make more sense to have backup. Still, she wouldn't argue. She'd faced down ancient dragons that could slaughter armies and struggled against an incarnated god in the form of her beloved King Ashram. A little petrifying cave monster didn't bother her much.

Once the shopping was finished the duo exited the guild and Scott released Rei. The supplies and equipment were distributed and tested again to make certain they would work. Once preparations were made the trio set out for the trade road that would cut through the mountains. Once again the time for valor had come.

---

Luna lounged in the sun as it beat down atop the roof of the shrine. It had been rather boring of late as the girls chattered and trained. Without Scott to ride their ass though they didn't seem to focus as much as they used too and the training sessions turned into idle gossip sessions instead.

"I can't believe those girls. They fall all over themselves for that man but they won't train on their own to save their lives. Rrorw. It's stupid!"

Artemis scrabbled up onto the roof in time to hear the little black kitty's monologue and snorted. "Get over yourself."

"Wh-what?! Artemis..!"

"Don't Artemis me.. you've been bitchy for days. The girls rarely ever get a chance to actually relax. Let them enjoy themselves for once."

Luna growled at him then performed a little kitty snort. "B-bitchy?! ..I don't believe you! We are at war with the negaverse and you want to lounge around and gossip!"

"Don't get your fur in a twist now.. Hey.." began Artemis.

"Oh.. Hey yourself..! I'm going for a walk. I can't stand watching all this chattering and lazing about for another minute!" snorted Luna disdainfully before getting to her feet and lashing her tail to emphasize her point.

Artemis seemed interested in arguing the point some more but Luna snorted imperiously at him and leapt down from the roof onto a nearby tree limb then worked her way down.

It would be several hours before he began to truly worry about her. There were a lot of pokegirls and other creatures in this world that would be a serious threat to the high-strung feline.

---

"Man.. that's not good." stated Rei with a fearful tone. Before the group stood dozens of haphazardly crafted statues. Each of them was in an intricate pose. Most of those poses had abject terror etched into the faces of the individuals that were petrified.

Scott took out a restorative capsule and broke it over one of the statues. As he suspected nothing happened. It did not change into a human being. Whatever was causing the petrification was stronger than the restoratives or there was no life to restore. The petrified travelers were probably not going to regain human form, ever.

"Well.. that was money well spent." muttered Scott as he watched the reddish goop that had been poured upon the nearest statue slide off to plop onto the ground.

"The capsules might still work for us. These people could have simply been petrified for too long for them to work." suggested P-chan.

Scott nodded thoughtfully while Rei acquired a hopeful expression.

"We can hope so.. if these people are lucky once whatever is causing this is dealt with a proper white mage or sorceror might be able to undo this mess. Whether they survive the transition or not I can't say."

Scott glanced over at Pirotessa after he replied to her and blinked. "Wait.. your people.. some of them could break this curse or whatever easily couldn't they?"

The incognito elf nodded at him precisely and said, "Yes, it wouldn't be too difficult for the three arch mages I would think. We just need to deal with the cause of this mess and get to the shrine so I can contact them."

"So we can help them?" asked Rei with a hopeful tone. She really hated seeing these poor people like this.

"Honestly, I don't know. Usually with spells like this they can be removed as long as the bodies are intact without ill effect to the petrified individual. In fact their souls are probably trapped inside these stone shells unable to seperate and go into the after life until their bodies are returned to normal or their stone forms are destroyed."

Scott sighed at the dark elf's answer. There was nothing they could do for these poor bastards at the moment. However, they could try to rectify the situation later and could work toward vengeance and justice for them now.

"Alright, let's get moving." said the man.

Pirotessa nodded and chanted a short lilting verse that he couldn't quite understand. A globe of floating red light appeared above her head that shined brightly without causing too much glare.

"In case you're wondering it is red because normal sunlight would ruin your night vision. I don't really need this to see in the caves but I thought it would be better than relying on a flash light."

"Thanks.." said Scott with a soft smile. Rei noticed the smile begin with Scott and end with Pirotessa and a small knot of annoyance formed and began to draw tight within her stomach. Kitty jealousy was beginning to rear its ugly head.

The group entered the caverns along the well worn path. The tunnel itself was three miles long with a few side corridors. In the past it had been formed to allow for the operation of trains through the mountains but no trains ran here any longer. It was a foot and wagon path now.

The group was incredibly silent for the first third of the trip until the tunnel began to grow lighter and they soon found themselves outside in an open area that once again was filled with statues. This was the halfway point of the tunnel. A small community of families that acted as local service technicians for the tunnel and hunters of the feral pokegirl population had lived here.

Now the area was as silent as the most somber and sobering of cemetaries. Statues of all shapes sizes and types were scattered about and the silence was deafening. With a lack of sound this profound only the noise of blood rushing through his ears and the sound of their footfalls reached Scott.

"This isn't right.." muttered Scott as he watched all the statues in passing.

"No it's not.. but if we can get through the caverns we can do something about it." Replied Pirotessa.

"No.. well yes.. but that's not it... I meant.. this isn't RIGHT. What kind of creature can turn a small town to stone and all those travelers as well without it causing an uproar. This had to happen incredibly fast.. and somethign seems fishy."

"Fishy?" inquired Rei.

"C'mon.. all of these statues here.. a few dozen more at the tunnel entrance.. no one back in town seemed concerned or even whispered about this. This would be big news in such a small town. That means this happened fast and recently.. very recently."

"What does that have to do with anything.. the old guide said it had just started happening." stated the dark elf of the group with a quizzical expression.

"That's just it.. you remember how the shop clerks in the guild thought it was weird when we mentioned needing supplies to come up here. They acted like it was just a normal trip."

"Well.. yes." admitted P-chan with a note of uncertainty in her voice. That had been odd now that she thought about it. How had that guide known about this when the guild didn't. No one else seemed to have known about it either. There had been no gossiping about monsters in the caves and no signs of fear.

A loud GRAAAAH!!! resounded from the corner of a house and the trio were immediately put on alert.

"What the heck was that?!" exclaimed Rei as she subconsciously took up a martial arts stance. As a shrine priestess she had learned to defend against evil spirits. As a young girl living with an elderly grandfather she had learned to defend herself against horny perverts. She should theoretically be able to defend against horny evil spirits if that was the case but this wasn't a matter of any real importance at the moment so please disregard that statement.

"Our beast I guess.." stated Scott as he ran down a mental list of the likely suspects.

When the creature wandered around the corner his list side stepped and immediately jumped to the only likely suspect. "A cockatrice? Fuckin hell.."

"A what?!" exclaimed Rei as she tried to understand the idea of a giant chicken lizard.

Scott was about to answer her but he widened his eyes in shock and lunged side ways to drag her to the ground along with Pirotessa. P-chan was already moving to the ground prior to his motion so they simply completed said dive.

Above them a wave of dense green and grey mist wafter by and floated up into the air.

"Fuck.. fuck.. dammit.." ranted Scott uncharacteristically. He had no issue with cursing and swearing but he preffered to save it for special occasions. If he was in his armor he wouldn't be too concerned since it would filter the air he breathed and he would be more or less immune to this thing's most powerful capability. Unfortunately he was just as vulnerable as the rest of them and he wasn't sure their armbands would work even if the Cockatrcice was probably an earth elementally aligned being.

"Wha?" asked Rei again curiously as her heart thundered within her chest.

"That thing's poison gas.. it's what turned all these people into statues!"

"Wha?!" exclaimed Rei again intelligently before Scott shoved her and rolled sidewaysto avoid and downward striking beak. The beast was upon them.

Swords came out as dark elf and human knight took the fight to the monster. Its flesh was tough and turned their blades aside readily. It was not immune to physical weapons however and the did do some damage, even if it wasn't enough to truly matter.

Scott found himself rolling forward in a dive a few seconds after his intial swing as the beast unleashed another petrifying mist. a nearby tree began to crack and shattered as its now much greater weight bore down upon itself. It could no longer maintain its size and branching nature under the new existence it found itself with.

Pirotessa scored a solid strike that penetrated its ribs to spear a vital organ but the creature merely reared then shrieked out an outraged BWAAAAAAK! of pain and anger before ripping the sword out of the dark elf's hands and kicking her solidly with one of its armored and clawed feet.

Rei lept onto its back and started slashing at it with her claws in a bid to fury swipe it into oblivion. The creature bucked at the annoyance and soon the catgirl found herself flying through the air to land with a hard thud upon the stone hard ground.

She did managed to distract the creature long enough for Scott to slam his sword forward to once again skewer the creature's body. He didn't manage to hit a vital organ but it did begin to bleed heavily. Unfortunately its lizardlike metabolism allowed it to disregard the damaging blow and continue the fight.

He screamed out in pain and anger as the creature's tail lashed sideways to slap him away with brutal force. Stunned momentarily he would have been rendered into a lawn sculpture had Pirotessa not retrieved her sword while tearing open the wound she had inflicted upon the cockatrice when she'd originally stabbed it.

Scott began focusing on his signature attack spell, while Pirotessa ducked and weaved around the large creature's attacks. She narrowly avoided several near fatal misses with its petrifying breath.

~Lay Down Your Souls To the God's Rock and Roll~

"BLACK METAL!" screamed Scott as a powerful wedge of force erupted out of him to slam into the side of the creature closest to him. It was rocked hard and nearly found itself knocked over by the force of the assault but is bulk stopped its momentum and it turned a confused and shocked eye toward his direction. The spell had weakened it and knocked the wind out of it a bit, but had done little else to the creature.

"Shit!" snapped Scott as he rolled over and got to his feet. The cockatrice was not amused after it began to understand what was going on again and immediately decided he was the greatest threat to its life and territory.

Scott found himself dive rolling forward again to avoid a petrifying blast that hit a flowering gardenia bush. The unfortunate shrubbery immediately became a fossil in his place.

Rei began to come around after a few moments passed. Her consciousness faded in and out but soon she regained her senses and tried to understand what was going on around her. She immediately noticed several things. There were many assorted statues around. Her mas.. Scott was fighting alongside that Pirotessa woman that he occasionally called Analise in public. There was a fog breathing chicken lizard in front of her. One more thing garnered her attention.

She noticed a soft flash of light from a nearby building and she considered what that meant. Slowly she realized someone must be alive up there and if that was the case they weren't likely to be survivors.

She got to her feet and jogged over to the building before leaping upward and scaling the wall to reach the balcony. Inside she found herself immediately dodging a swift sword strike that came from the darkness.

"Who are you!" exclaimed Rei as she ducked another sword strike and tried to counter only to find that she moved too slow to complete the action.

"Your opponent!" snapped the feminine voice of the shadowed figure.

A GRAAAH! of pain outside caught the shadow figure's interest for a moment. It was a moment that would cost it dearly as the catgirl jumped up and planted both feet into their chest.

Since they had been ducking and dodging around in their attempt at fighting each other the strange dark figure had their back to the open balcony. They were sent flying backward to topple over the side and land hard upon the ground.

The cockatrice immediately stopped attacking started to wobble its head around in confusion. Scott and Pirotessa took the opportunity to quickly assault the beast and its uncomprehending look turned quickly to pain as its serpent like neck was cut deeply.

It started to try and fight back but it was far too late. Another swift strike carved a chunk out of its flesh and a spray of blood erupted out as a major artery was severed.

The creature thrashed wildly in its death throes and finally fell limp to the ground with a final GRAAaaaah....  
"No!" snapped the formerly hidden individual that had been knocked out of a second story window and seemed to be no worse for wear.

"Who are you?" called Scott as he slung his sword downward to try and remove some of the blood drenching the blade.

"Me? Who am I? WHO ARE YOU.. Who do you think you are?! I just caught that damned thing and now its dead!" snapped the armored figure in a somewhat masculine yet still feminine voice.

"You caused all of these people to be turned into statues!" exclaimed the man in growing outrage.

"What kind of idiot are you! I said I just caught it. I subdued it and was going to keep it as a pet. These people were already like this when I got here." growled the masculine yet femining voice of the armored man and or woman.

"You don't seem to understand the concept of lying. It requires a grain of truth to be believable. You expect us to believe you just got here and captured it? There's statues all over the place!"

"I don't care what you believe you idiot. A mere man could never understand the depths of true love and loyalty that I possess. I tracked that cockatrice for the glory of my empress!"

"Stop with the babble talk and turn these people back to normal right now!" snapped Scott in agitation. He felt tired from the fight, his recently healing, and the casting of his signature spell. He didn't need to be arguing with a crazy cockatrice lover.

"Turn them back.. how do you expect me to do that? Do I look like a priest?" asked the warrior snidely.

Scott snapped his sword up and said, "We're taking you in for what you did."

"What I did.. hello.. the cockatrice did this and I caught it.. Geeze.. just like a MAN.. always talking but never listen..." snarked the warrior.

Something about this particular warrior's appearance triggered a slow cascade of thoughts and memories but the man couldn't quite place what he was seeing yet.

"Look, come along quietly and tell it to the judge.." stated Pirotessa as she lifted her sword. If Scott wanted to capture this weird woman then that's what they'd do. Personally she'd prefer simply to kill her and be done with it.

"The hell I am! I didn't do anything.. yet!" she snapped in reply.

Scott felt a distinctive rise in mystical energy from the armored figure and more thoughts about the familiarity of this situation trickled into his mind.

It wasn't until the words, "TALAS! Turn Flesh to Stone!" erupted from the armored warrior that Scott's eyes widened comically in horror. He knew who this was now.

He was knocked back half a step as a lightning crackle of etheric mana erupted around him with a brilliant flash of light. He screamed out in pain and panic as the electrical current subsided and he began to feel his body tightening and start to harden.

"Fuck!" he snapped as even the tear duct in his eyes began to slow their production. Unlike the manga where he had witnessed a similar scene to this he was definitely not the titular character of the series and knew no deity off hand that could undo this spell even if he did suspect the source god of this power.

"HA HA HEEEHAAHAHAH! Now try and take me in! You men are all alike and weak! Weak!" she crowed at him before taking a double kick to the shoulder and side of her head that sent her flying sideways to land hard onto the ground. Rei had acted a moment too late to save her master but at least she shut the cackling bitch up.

"Scott!" called out Piortessa as she ran to him. He was slowly turning to stone before her eyes. It wasn't the first time the dark elf wished she knew any form of magic beyond illusion. She couldn't help him at all in that way.

"Try the capsules!" called Rei as she looked over her shoulder in a moment of distraction that would cost her. The fallen warrior kicked out hard and slammed the heel of her armored foot into her shin sending the catgirl toppling to the ground.

"Of Course!" exclaimed Pirotessa as she ripped a capsule out of her little satchel and smashed it against Scott's forehead. Unfortunately just like before it simply ran along his skin and plopped to the ground without effect. The power animating this spell was too strong.

"Fool! You can't defeat my high ancient magic with medicine!" called the warrior as she got to her feet.

"Damn you! Reverse this spell!" snapped Pirotessa as she turned on the black hearted warrior wizard.

"How about no...!" she called back snidely as she started to prepare another spell.

Rei lashed out at her with her uninjured foot but found herself kicking only air as the warrior leapt away.

Scott cried out in abject pain as his body continued to petrify in a slow agonizing manner. It was hard to think but he knew how Dark Schneider had gotten out of this in the bastard manga. Unfortunately he had no ties to ancient dieties based on rock and heavy metal bands. The worst part was that he knew the "deity" that was responsible for this spell. It was Yng Wie.

It wasn't until Kai Harn, the woman he suspected they were fighting, called out, "DIO'S SCORCHING HEAT WAVE!" that his eyes widened in recognition. The spell missed Pirotessa by a hair's breath as she dodged away from it. She was left with a dark red burn on her arm with some singed hair as a reminder of the occurrence however. The spell traveled in a tightly compacted beam of raw fiery energy that eventually impacted with a house and struck it like a mortar rocket followed by a raging bonfire. The house was devestated but Scott didn't notice.

Scott wasn't sure what to do but his only hope was in a dream he'd had while riding the boss. He called out loudly in his mind, 'Dio can you hear me?'

The rock and heavy metal legend had been part of an incredibly strange dream not long ago wherein he had promised to help him out if he ever truly needed him.

There was no answer and Scott chided himself for his stupidity. It must have been a dream afterall. When he saw Rei get up and attempt to attack Kai again only he receive a very nasty slash across her torso that sent blood flying into the air he screamed out in emotional turmoil. There was nothing he could do but watch and curse as his body continued to petrify. It was up to his chest already, strange that he was still conscious during this.

Scott was at a loss for what to do if anything while he watched two of his friends being beaten and battered around by one of the general's of yet another friend. Well, sort of friend.. acquaintance maybe?

He could feel his anger, pain, and sorrow rising inside of him and desperate for anything he tried calling out once again to his Imaginary friend Ronnie James Dio. This time, however, it came out as a song in his mind. Perhaps his mind was finally giving out, or then again he might have instinctually recognized a mistake he had made.

In his mind he sang out, 'Dio can you hear me.. I am lost and so alone..'

The world slowed to a crawl as time began to move with the speed of half frozen molasses. A familiar dream voice answered him this time by singing out, 'I hear you brave young soldier.. you're turning into rock.. to free yourself from evil the world you now must shock...'

Scott blinked with the speed of a half drunk snail and sang back, 'I hear you noble master, your song comes through clear.. do you know how to save my ass and get us out of here?'

While that might not have been the most elegant of verses it did convey his meaning well enough for whatever force he was speaking to to answer him again.

"Brave soldier to grow much older you'll need to learn to rock. To cast off the stone you are becoming my power you must be strumming. Three keys I grant to you to get your power flowing... but know in time that a favor must be retuuuurned.. when I call to you my desire you can't spurnnnnunn unn unn yeaaheah..!"

Scott understood this to mean that whatever he was working with was offering him a deal. He'd get some power but he'd have to perform a favor at a time unspecified of a manner he will not know. He answered in the only way he could.

'If Dio you are then gladly I accept your POWWAAH..a promise made in time to keep even if it means my soul you might DEVOOWAH..'

Dio's voice sang out in mirth a must delightful song, "Never fear of darkness here with our strength things will be set to right and forever you must fiiiight!"

With that last bit of impromptu singing having been performed Scott suddenly felt knowledge and power flood through him. He understood far more clearly now about his power, his ability to turn rock and heavy metal songs into magical spells and reality altering effects. He had gained a patron and as such the power's of that great rock divinity were his to command.. to an extent.

Immediately he knew the way to save him self. For the first time he used his capacity for white magic via his unique power and called upon on the most powerful of all Dio Songs.

~There's no sign of the morning coming..~ He sang out strongly causing the stone petrification to slow its progress. Radiant light and sonic resonance began to build up around him that was soft but building steadily in power.  
~You've been left on your own...~ He continued causing the petrification effect to stop all together. The light grew brighter still and the resonance took on the distinctive sound of an electric guitar with a solid drum and keyboard in the background to add extra effect.

"What the fuck? Are you kidding me?" gasped out the warrior as she stopped fighting with Pirotessa and Rei long enough to get their attention to shift as well. all three turned in time to see Scott's light and sound ramp up to the next level.  
Like a rainbow..~ The light radiated strongly to the extent that he was becoming hard to look upon. The very clear and incredibly powerful waves of sonic force rocking from him began to cause that light to shift and flow in time to the guitar and percussion beat. The light shifted into separate colors.. reminiscent of a rainbow that worked in point and counterpoint to the song radiating from his body.

"RAINBOW IN THE DARK!" he cried out in a clear powerful voice that sounded nothing like DIO but got the job done never the less. Inside his mind the words 'RAM IT DOWN!' echoed brightly as the stone on his body erupted outward as though it had never been anything but mud caking his form.

In the rioteous fury his song was never dulled. The power of Dio's Rainbow in the Dark had defeated the spellwork of Kai Harn utterly.

"Not again! Does every damn wizard in the world know how to break that spell?!" snapped Kai in annoyance and frustration.

She immediately powered up and cast Dio's Scorching Heat wave again only to gasp in outrage as Scott raised his hand simultaneously and thrust it forward strongly. The sound of a guitar wailing furiously was heard as light flared in front of him and stopped the incoming spell dead in its tracks.

While the light around the newly empowered wizard dimmed considerably after stopping that powerful force he did not seemed injured in the slightest.

Pirotessa blinked as the student she had taught over a year ago began to use magic in ways even she could not. She watched and listened as he sang out strongly.

~Holy Diver.. You've been down too long in the midnight sea.. oh what's becoming of me..~ he sang out with a fine soft voice that maintained a quiet power about it.

A soft white light began to form in front of him that rapidly spun itself taking on a different shape as the moment and words passed his lips.

~Ride the TIGER.. you can see his stripes but you know he's clean..~

The trio before him widened their eyes in surprise as the light grew substantially in time to the music radiating out of the core of Scott's being. Soon a tremendously large white tiger complete with black stripes, horns, and overly large white batwings was standing before the man.

The Tiger was a ghostly image until Scott sang out "HOLY DIVEEEEEER!!!" to complete the song. The moment that happened the tiger solidified into a form larger than your typical F 150 pickup truck and immediately began looking around as though searching for something.

Scott nodded to the tiger and the tiger nodded back. Unlike the cockatrice that Kai Harn had captured the tiger was a willing companion and not a mind slave. It would serve its master happily. Of course since it had a material form now it would have to eat..

"Kai Harn.. my friend is hungry... are you going to come peacefully..?" asked Scott with an edge to his voice. He wanted this to be over with. He might be much stronger spiritually now but using this much high level magic so quickly in succession was still draining on the man.

"I.. I.." she began to babble as she backstepped. She was normally willing to die for her duty but the site of a giant demon tiger wasn't something she was prepared to deal with today.

"Wait, you know her?" asked Rei incredulously.

"After a fashion. I wasn't certain until a few minutes ago when she used that spell." admitted Scott.

"H-how do you know me.. i'll never give in.. I.." blurbled the proud woman, only to find herself suddenly born to the ground hard by the front left paw of a multi-ton demon tiger that was quite a bit peckish.

"That wasn't a request. I asked if you were coming peacefully, not whether you were coming at all. Either way you will be taken into custody until this mess is sorted out." replied Scott as he tried desperately to fight off the drooping of his eyelids.

"Uh.. oh.. ok.. I.. I.. yes...Fine.." she finally replied as the tiger began to press a little of its weight forward slowly starting to crush the armor clad sorceress into the hard packed earth.

"Glad to hear you make some sense. Let's get out of here.. that damned cockatrice is starting to make me gag." replied Scott. He wasn't exaggerating about that much. The thing smelled like it had crawled inside its own ass and died.

"Ok.." said Rei as she tried to piece together what had just happened. All she could come up with was 'Big big kitty.. big kitty big..'

Pirotessa nodded at the man and she set about cleaning off her sword. The sooner they were away from here the better. Her senses were stronger than Scott's and she'd be vomiting up breakfast if they stayed here too much longer. Considering she never wanted to be seen doing something so undignified this was not something she was willing to allow just so they could all banter wittily with each other.

-----

An: Whelp there's chapter 23 for you happy happy people. Please read and review I need a little feed back. 


	24. Man From Another World

A blue-black ball of flame slammed into the wall separating the hordes of the negaverse and their titanic messenger of destruction known simply as the invincible shadow from the last remnants of the imperial line of Earth. There was nothing left but to storm this shopping center that had been hastily reinforced then capture more promising warriors for the negaverse and drain the very life from the unworthy remnants of sentient life on this planet.

Inside the rapidly failing structure the last remaining knight general of the Earth stood firm and resolute in his decision to protect his liege. The king had been slain early in the fighting and only prince Endymion remained to carry on the imperial line. His final gambit was in play. Jedite, last surviving knight general of the Earth Empire had granted his prince the time he would need to warn the moon. There was nothing left here to protect. There was only one lone soldier.. standing defiantly in the face of impossible odds.

The hordes outside saw and sensed a large military force encamped within the walls of this once hallowed hall of consumerism. The last living knight general had expended most of his power to conjure them into existence, a solid illusion to confuse the mind and senses of his enemies.

Jedite focused his power on the failing wall willing it to be stronger, to absorb more punishment. Time was of the essence, he must survive as long as he possibly could. He was the last hope for survival of humanity in this stellar system.

His life-like illusion of massed soldiers defending this location began to fail one by one as he spent the last of his strength desperately. He was trying with all his might to buy time for the fragile transport his liege was racing toward the heavens in. Even one strike of any power could destroy it. Should that vessel be destroyed so too would the last of the free human race upon the Earth.

Jedite staggered back in utter exhaustion as the wall finally exploded in a shower of mortar and dust. His strength had been spent tirelessly but at last his defenses had been overcome, the battle had reached its final moments.

As the dust cleared he stared outward through the wall at a sea of oncoming monstrosities that had once been loyal friends and comrades. In the vanguard stood his three closest companions before they had fallen in battle. Each of them had been knight general's in their own right. Each had been stalwart defender's of right and good, living embodiments of justice and virtue. Now they were naught but hollow shells controlled by an evil being from beyond this reality.

For a brief moment he betrayed himself in fear as a single bead of cold sweat appeared upon his forehead and began to slowly slide along the side of his face. Then as the moment passed he raised his sword high then pointed it outward toward the impossibly large army of the horribly corrupt.

"In the name of the Earth and humanity...I fight on!" snarled out the general in righteous wrath.

As though a dam burst upon the echoing of this statement a flood of monstrosities began pouring forth toward the door with a tremendous evil shadow looming in the background. Jedite rushed forward with determination in his eyes and no trace of fear in his movements to meet them in battle and then..

Jedite snapped awake in a cold sweat inside his chambers. The evil general of the negaverse that had served so dutifully for thousands of years tried in vain to recall the dream that had troubled him so as his heart sped viscous lime-green blood through his veins.

Ever since he had first seen that knight's visage inside his bus trap he had been unable to sleep. The last several rest periods he had taken had been terrible agony for him but he never remembered why.

"What.. is wrong with me?" asked the fair haired negaverse general to himself. He had to clear his mind of this strange disquiet he felt. His queen had grown vengeful toward his failures. He had only one more chance to subdue this knight and destroy all opposition. If he failed he would be destroyed.

Despite the need to hatch a diabolical plan all the evil general could do was sit there in a cold sweat as his heart pounded in his chest. All he could do is remain filled with confusion and dread.

Chapter 24: Man From Another World.

The mid-afternoon temple life at the Hickey-wa shrine was electric with the belif that Scott and the others would soon be returning. The girls had put on their best clothes and even Arshes Nei seemed to have polished her armor a bit even if she refused to admit it had anything to do with Scott.

"When do you think they'll be here?" ask Serena as she tried her best not to bounce up and down. It was no easy feat in her excitable state.

Makoto shrugged at her, "Soon I hope. It's getting hot out here..". The weather had started to change from cold at night and in the mornings to warm or hot in the afternoons.

"Hmm. I don't mind. It'll be a lot hotter as soon as Scott gets back..." murmured Minako as she straightened her red leather outfit. She wanted to look strong and sexy for her master.

Ryoko swung her sword upword happily and said, "No kidding.. I need to show master how much i've improved with my sword!"

"He's only been gone for a few days.." muttered Arshes at her antics. It wasn't like she'd been counting the days herself or anything.

Aaron stood with the two moon cats off to the side. The girls were a bit distracting with their chatter and each of them preferred a bit of quiet in their own way. Grandpa Hino was taking a nap since he had been worrying himself sick over his granddaughter until he'd gotten word the day before that she was fine and coming home today.

Artemis spoke up in a thoughtful voice and asked, "What do you think this meeting is going to be about?"

Luna rolled her eyes in annoyance. She didn't care what this usurper wanted to talk about. How dare he act like he was in charge!

Aaron glanced down at the chatty white feline and replied, "All I know is that he said he was going to explain something that he felt wasn't proper to express over an open communication channel."

Artemis mewed thoughtfully and lashed his tail. It was all so mysterious. Scott was a mysterious figure in general. Just who was he? He seemed to know so much about the silver millenium not to mention many of the people they'd run across. Then there was his strange powers. They reminded the moon cat of something but he couldn't quite place it.

Serena bounced up and down excitedly as she chattered about how much she was looking forward to seeing Scott again. The few days he had been missing had been nerve racking, but knowing he was alright made up for it in her opinion. It was during the middle of one of her bounces that she spotted a vehicle pulling up to the parking area near the shrine steps.

"Hey! I think he's here!" she exclaimed happily.

"What? Really?" called out Minako excitedly.

The others expressed excitement at the prospect and all moved toward the stairs to see the group get out of the car that had arrived. To their dismay it seemed to only be two people they didn't know.

"Ah man.. probably some worshipers coming to the shrine." grumbled Makoto in agitation. How dare they spoil the moment!

At the bottom of the stairs A blue haired teenage girl fidgeted nervously and glanced at her mother. "There seems to be a crowd of people.."

Saeko glanced down at her daughter and nodded. "Yes dear.. let's go see if this is the right place. Surely one of them knows."

"Oh.. ok.." replied Ami meekly. The idea of meeting so many people at once set her loner senses tingling. She didn't socialize much at all and absolutely hated crowds. It was one of the worst issues she would have as a doctor, if she ever managed to get to go to school.

The duo wandered up the stairs taking their sweet time out of nervousness. Once they neared the top Aaron called down to them. "Hello Madam and miss.. how might we help you today?"

Ami fidgeted some more and didn't know how to answer the man. She was certain she would feel silly saying anything along the lines of "Hi, I was told by a man that I just met that I was going to save the world.. is this where I come for the meeting?"

Her mother didn't have nearly as many qualms about speaking up. "Yes, hello. I was instructed to bring my daughter here for a meeting."

"A meeting...? Who asked you to come?"

"A knight of the league named Scott?" questioned and answered Saeko at the same time.

"Ah. You're at the right place then, but the meeting isn't till tomorrow." supplied Aaron.

The others glanced back and forth at each other for a moment. They knew Scott had Serena's parents coming in tomorrow but weren't aware of anyone else coming. They would be in for a shock at the amount of people that would arrive unannounced.

The group chatted in a casual somewhat distrustful manner for a few minutes before Serena decided to stop with all the tension and went over to hold her hand out to Ami. "Hi! I'm Serena. Want to be friends?"

"Uhm.." replied Ami with a fidget. "I.. s-sure I suppose acquiring new associates is always beneficial.."

Most people would have been put off by that answer but Serena beamed a happy smile at Ami. "Good! Now that we're friends we can all stop with the tension.. it'll give us wrinkles!"

A murmur of horror passed from several lips, one set of which belonged to an armored dark elf who would never admit that she had muttered any such thing.

A happy chattering began again as the girls began to question Ami. She had never had anything in the way of friends so even pokegirls talking to her in such a familiar fashion was something to be cherished. Most people overlooked her altogether. She was just straight-A Ami the world's smartest loner.

The gathered gaggle continue to gab for a while (heh) until Ryoko happened to notice a strange moving dot in the sky.

"Hey, wonder what that is?" she asked the group while pointing at the speck.

Everyone turned to look and several squinted in an effort to try and figure it out.

Arshes Nei replied, "I can't really tell. I could swear it looks a little like a flying tiger.."

"What's a tiger?" asked Makoto.

The dark elf shrugged at her and pointed down at the cats. "Them only bigger."

"Oh." replied the pony-tailed girl with a nod.

Serena blinked as her enhanced visual acuity began to pick out images. "Hey the big kitty has something on its back.. and its carrying something in its hand."

"A cat has paws Serena... Really what do they teach you girls nowadays." scolded Luna.

"I still can't really see anything but a blob." stated Minako in frustration.

A few minutes passed and Serena gasped in shocked delight. "It's Scott! He's riding the big kitty!"

"What? Master is riding it?!" exclaimed Ryoko in shock. That must be one big kitty. A really big flying kitty.

The girls gabbled excitedly for a few more minutes until Scott, and the unmentioned Pirotessa and Rei came into full view only a few hundred yards away. They were riding atop an oversized and predatory looking kitty the color of artemis with black stripes, wings, and horns.

The giant cat turned sharply toward the shrine as it passed below the tree line nearby and soon they saw they group walking out of the woods. The gathering rushed over to them to see what was going on.

"Master!" exclaimed Minako.

"Wow, where'd you find the big Artemis?" asked Makoto.

"Master your apprentice is relieved you are safe!" espoused Ryoko happily.

Serena giggled and blushed at his arrival.

Rei muttered "Gee, good to see you too guys.." as she was systematically ignored. That is until her grampy Aaron came over to speak with her in regards to her welfare.

Pirotessa coolly eyed the gathering but soon locked eyes with Arshes Nei. The half dark elf gazed steadily at Pirotessa and if anyone had noticed them there would have been a brief thought that angry sparks were flying between them even if no facial expression seemed to betray their thoughts. It would have given them a feeling similar to the tension in a room where two pitbulls were about to fight over the same bone.

The joyfuly, and sometimes tearful greetings continued for a few minutes before Scott became a bit more serious. "I have to report some terrible news."

"What is it?" asked Aaron immediately. If there was a problem he'd like to know about it.

"There's a small town in the old tunnel system between this side of the moutain and Randy Oaks that has suffered an attack. We captured the one responsible even if she claims she's innocent."

"What kind of attack?" asked Minako as she moved into her role as Alpha. Any threats were important to know about.

"A cockatrice turned the entire population to stone. We caught the one controlling it."

"A cockatrice?" asked Arshes curiously. She could find uses for such a beast even if she preferred griffins.

"Yes.. funny you should ask since you will be particularly interested in who we caught controlling it." stated Scott.

"Wait what.. an entire town was turned to stone?!" asked Makoto excitedly as she found a moment to interject.

Scott nodded at her.

"Never mind that. What did you mean when you said i'd be interested?" asked Arshes Nei.

The man being questioned nodded to her called out, "Hey buddy.. mind bringing her over?"

The pick-up truck sized tiger padded out casually while holding Kai Harn up in the air by her foot. Said foot was in his mouth. The sorcerer general was most displeased but knew better than to complain.

"Wha.. That.." began Arshes as she registered who she was looking at.

The enormous tiger finished padding over to Scott and casually opened its mouth to allow Kai to fall unceremoniously to the ground. The swordswoman and sorceress that was Kai Harn got to her knees then looked up. An expression of shock crossed her face then the words, "Mistress Nei!" erupted from her in utter confusion and growing joy.

"Kai Harn.. how did this happen? When did you arrive here?" asked Arshes without much concern for her subordinate's personal situation. If she got her ass beat down then she deserved it most likely.

"Mistress! I was in the midst of capturing a cockatrice when these three showed up and killed it!" explained the sorcerer general of Arshes Nei's army.

"Never mind the part where an entire town was turned to stone before we got there?" asked Scott cynically.

"Oh forget it! How could I expect a man to listen to reason!" snorted Kai.

"Feh.. you should stop being so hung up on what's dangling between someone's legs. We'll get the truth out of you soon enough whenever we can get a psychic to probe you." replied Scott.

"She really did that to all those people?" asked Serena in shock. That sounded so horrible. What kind of person did that.

"We'll find out as soon as the investigator gets here. We still need to contact the league to get a psychic up here to probe her. For now she's under arrest. I just wish I knew where to keep her ass."

Arshes spoke up by asking, "Kai did you do what he's claiming?" If they had been at war here it would have been one thing but they weren't back home. There was no current struggle for dominance between them and the nations of this world.

"Empress Nei. I swear to you that I was attempting to capture the beast. I did not loose it on the town." replied Kai Harn with a sincere tone.

Arshes nodded at her then spoke to Scott. "She is a subordinate of mine. I know her to be honest and direct. If she says she was trying to capture the beast then I believe her."

Scott considered what he knew about the character of Kai Harn based on a few manga he had read. To be honest he did somewhat believe her story. He was mostly pissed about nearly being turned into a over-sized lawn gnome.

"Maybe she is telling the truth. However, she has done this sort of thing before. I can't just let her go with her word as her only evidence of innocence. If you promise on YOUR honor and word that she will remain here without causing trouble until the psychic investigator arrives then i'll remand her into your custody." stated Scott. Honestly it beat an around the clock guard and it would suck having to worry about this chick. She would probably prove to be telling the truth anyway.

Aaron cocked an eyebrow at the unusual judgment call but didn't argue the point. She was Scott's prisoner after all.

"Fine." remarked Nei ending the discussion.

Scott turned to Kai and said, "Behave yourself. Your screw ups will reflect badly on Arshes."

"Arshes..you dare speak of Empress Nei on a first name basis.." grumbled the manhater that is Kai Harn.

"Kai.." spoke Arshes briefly.

"Yes, Mistress Nei?"

"Be quiet."

The sorcerer general blinked and seemed ready to retort but a hard gaze from her mistress quieted her would-be outcry.

"OK fine.. but what about those people!" exclaimed Makoto. She was upset that no one seemed worried about the people that were now statues.

"Oh yes.. that reminds me.. may I use your vid-phone? I need to make a few calls about that." asked Pirotessa.

Rei nodded at her. "Oh yeah, go ahead. I hope those archmages or whoever can help them."

Pirotessa nodded curtly. "I believe they can. I just hope it isn't too late for them."

"Where is your phone located?" asked the dark elf.

Rei flipped her hair over her shoulder and replied with, "It's in the hallway next to the kitchen."

The dark elf made her polite excuses to the group then wandered off into the shrine temple to look for the vid-phone. She needed to get in touch with a few people.

"Uhm.." began Ami as she finally found the nerve to speak up. Of course she had nothing really earth shattering to say and the sudden movement of eyes toward her caused the bookish blue haired girl to flush brightly and shake her head.

"Oh hi Ami!" exclaimed Scott with more cheer than he really felt. The man was exhausted but he wanted to make her feel welcome. He had invited her after all.

"H.. hi.." she squeaked out before her flush deepened dramatically. She rarely talked to members of the opposite sex projects outside of school assignments and none of them had looked quite so.. defined.

Scott spared her a small warm smile that caused the girls, including Rei and Arshes, to frown slightly in consternation. Only Rei knew who she was but even she didn't like the overtly friendly nature the two seemed to have with each other. Though the catgirl would never have admitted to anything resembling jealousy of course.

Serena looked back and forth between the two and pouted cutely. What was with this vibe! She HAD to find out.. "Scott.. she says you asked her to be here..?"

Ami's blush somehow managed to deepen even further and she edged toward her mother in a half-conscious desire to hide behind her mother.

"Yes.. I needed Sailor Mercury here for tomorrow." he stated with a casual air and a sigh. Might as well get a few things out in the open before then.

"Sailor Mercury?" asked Rei. She'd overheard some of the talk from everyone and she knew a bit about their mission. Beyond that she had been in the dark.

"Yes Mars.. I said Sailor Mercury." admitted Scott with another half hearted sigh. He needed to come clean, but there was so much to tell.. he'd never really told anyone but pirotessa entirely the truth about himself. Even his closest friends and team mates only knew part of the story.

"Wait.. wait.. WHAT?" exclaimed Minako excitedly. Did she just hear what she thought she'd heard.

"Sailor Mercury?" asked Serena wide eyed as she looked at Ami.

"Sailor Mars?" asked Makoto as she gaped openly at Rei.

"Sailor Mars?" asked Rei curiously as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Scott sighed. "Yes."

"How.. how could you possibly know that! You weren't even a part of the Silver Millennium!" exclaimed Luna in agitation and disbelief.

Artemis muttered something about "not being so sure of that."

"I wasn't... but Prince Endymion was.." stated Scott. He knew the questions would come at him in rapid fire mode now but he had to stand firm. Everyone needed to know all at once.

"Prince.. Endymion.." said Serena slowly as though she were entering a mental fog. Harsh images flooded through her mind's eye. Sound, fury, lights.. energy.. but she couldn't make sense of it. Something about that name was so familiar though.

"I knew it! It's you. You're Nocturne!" exclaimed Artemis triumphantly with his tail standing straight up and one paw pointing at him accusingly. All it had taken was him recalling what Sailor Pluto had said on the roof.

"What.. Nocturne..?" asked Minako in confusion. The name sounded familiar but she hadn't heard it before.

"I don't know about THAT.. It makes a bit of sense but... somehow I doubt it." said Scott to the moon cat.

"Wait.. hold it.. what? What's going on..!" exclaimed Makoto as she tried to understand exactly what she was hearing.

"Yes, I would like to know why you're accusing my daughter of being in the navy." interjected Saeko questioningly.

Aaron continued to hold his own council as he soaked in the new information. As for the others Ryoko wasn't sure what was going on so she kept quiet and merely listened. Kai Harn had no clue what anyone was talking about and she wasn't allowed to talk right now anyway. Arshes Nei was confused but kept her own council similar to Aaron.

The tiger yawned lazily and folded its wings against its body. The creature was way too heavy to be able to fly but it had done so readily. It didn't much care for all the noise but it was better than torturing damned souls that didn't know how to rock.

Scott sighed and shook his head. "Look I know i've dropped a bombshell here, but it's nothing compared to what I will be saying.. TOMORROW. I need some time to collect my thoughts.. and everyone that's involved in some fashion needs to know about this."

"But.." began Serena.

"Tomorrow.." replied Scott to the eager angel pokegirl in a gentle tone that also spoke of finality.

Minako let out a loud groan and asked, "Can't you at least tell us about the big cat over there?"

The huge feline in question looked up and snorted.

Scott wasn't even sure what to say about that since he didn't really know exactly how he'd brought the critter here in the first place so he shrugged. "What.. doesn't every main character in a magical girl series get a cute furry mascot?"

Several eye blinks and a few half considered looks directed themselves between each other, Scott, the tiger, and then Scott again. No one really knew what to say to that.

Finally Serena spoke up and asked, "Um.. do they count as a mascot if they can't talk?"

The tiger frowned at her in the way that only a tiger could and replied in a surprisingly soft tone, "Maybe I only talk when I have something to say?"

More blinking occurred as everyone, including Scott, tried to consider the ramifications of a multi-ton, flying, TALKING, tiger.

----

Scott stood atop the shrine's roof and gazed out at the bright full moon shining down. He gazed at the moon and tried to understand his thoughts and feelings. Life had changed so much this year for the man. Almost a year ago today he had stood out on the street near a lamp post and gazed up at the moon. He had wished and prayed for a life where he could truly make a difference. He had prayed without thinking about the consequences.

Whatever power had brought him here had answered the man and now he had so many responsibilities and people counting on him. He was a central figure in a story about a battle older than history. He wasn't supposed to be central to anything. How could he be.. he .. he didn't even know what he was. He wasn't tuxedo mask.. in any of the variations of that character. Sometimes that masked individual had been an upfront fighter that could hold his own in battle, such as the manga and live action versions. Other times he was an ineffectual weenie that spouted one liners and hung back while letting young teenage girls fight the monster of the week.

He didn't know what he was going to do. Despite a seeming connection and Sailor Pluto blatantly calling him Nocturne once he didn't think he was really this world's Prince Endymion. That did lead him down a road of thought that made him ask old questions yet again. Where exactly WAS Endymion. Didn't he manage to get reborn in this Era?

The man gazed up at the moon and considered everything he knew, thought he knew, and all that had happened this year. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the tight vibrating of the air behind him.

He did hear a voice whisper to him softly. "Hello.."

Scott turned quickly to find the spectral image of Sailor Pluto gazing softly at him. She wasn't as solid as last time and it was obvious she was under incredible strain just to be here.

"Pluto..." said Scott softly. He wasn't sure what else to say. The look of joy that lit up the soldier of time's features almost made the man's eyes water with unshed tears. He'd always sort of identified with the character back home. Duty and responsibility without ever being allowed to have a life of her own.

"Am I doing the right thing..? Telling them tomorrow.."

She continued to smile at him and began to grow fainter in his vision. A soft trickle of tears slid along her cheeks but she did not answer. She wouldn't interfere this time.

As the softly crying guardian of time faded away the only word she spoke before passing completely from sight was, "Nocturne.."

The man trembled against the rapidly cooling air. The night's were cold currently and he was ill prepared for the chill. For a time he continued to stare at the spot where Sailor Pluto had stood then turned to look up at the moon.

There was just so much he didn't understand about reality here. If this was the original timeline the Sailor Pluto had shown up way too early. Outside of the pokegirl aspects and his own existence here that alone would mark this as a drastically different timeline.

He promised answers tomorrow but all he really had was questions. He had questions about himself, his purpose, his fitness to lead, and ultimately hit fitness to even be here among these people. Where did his powers come from. What was his connection to Nocturne? How much of the shows and manga's he watched or read carry as true here.

Scott shook his head softly as he tried to comprehend his past, present, and future. So many people relied on him and he did not know if he was right for the job. No matter how much telling everyone what he knew might fuck things up he had to do it. He had to come clean. It was time to put all of his possible cards on the table.

The man nodded to himself in determination as he gazed at the glowing orb in the sky. "In the name of the moon..."

-----

The night passed, morning came and went. As time passed the inhabitants of the shrine would occasionally go out to the rock Scott was sitting on as he stared off into nothing. He hadn't spoken much or eaten today. Whatever he had to say had him completely occupied.

As afternoon came several people began to appear at the shrine. First to arrive where the Tsukinos accompanied by the unexpected arrival of Serena's friend and classmate Molly.

The reunion was tearful and filled with joy. Scott smiled softly as he heard the rucus of the arrival. It was nice for her to see family. They were good people and it would do all of them some good.

The afternoon wore on and several people teleported in, including Deedlit. Apparently Pirotessa felt she needed to know what was going on. Scott wouldn't begrudge her that. The Elf was in charge of the security and every day running of the elven sanctuary where all the transformed former pokegirls were living. If Pirotessa was involved so was Deedlit, even if Scott had never directly spoken to her.

At last everyone had arrived that needed to. Scott looked up at the slowly setting sun and sighed. His heart was burdened with knowledge and his head was filled with chaotic turmoil. He did not relish the thought of explaining to his closest friends that he had been withholding information solely because he wasn't sure it was a good thing to tell them.

A few more minutes passed and Scott stood up. In the distance he heard someone, he thought it was Makoto, say, "Hey, Scott's up!"

A clamor of voices could be heard from behind the man as he gazed outward. It was time. He had to face this.

He turned slowly to them, distance images of people he knew and some he did not. A crowd of people he had willingly chosen not to arm with the one weapon that might have turned this war from a near impossible battle into a potentially survivable scenario. The people of this world that he had come to aid and protect only a year prior. The people he had failed.

Scott took a deep breath and started walking toward them slowly. A few minutes passed and all eyes remained on him. Finally he arrived at the crowd and with a softly spoken, "Excuse me." he stepped through the gathered throng and moved into the shrine. Several of the girls followed after him as he walked to the kitchen and silently grabbed a glass cup and filled it at the tap.

He could feel all the eyes on him, a sense of recrimination and grief over took the man as he drank his water and impulsively his hand squeezed tight shattering the fragile material.

A loud crack emanating from him and the sight of blood pouring down into the sink caused an uproar as the girls started toward their injured master.

"Master..!" cried out Ryoko as she moved toward him. She stopped short when he turned to look at her with red rimmed eyes and tears sliding along his cheeks. She had seen him badly hurt but never had he cried like that. It was a complete shock.

"I.. was thirsty... been outside all day." he said softly in an apologetic tone as the tears kept sliding.

"Scott.. whats.." began Minako in concern. Scott shook his head softly and said. "I don't deserve your concern... let's just get on with the meeting.."

"Meeting nothing.. you need to get that hand looked at!" exclaimed Saeko as she pressed through the surprised and startled throng.

"My hand?" asked Scott in an uncomprehending manner.

"Yes, your hand!" snapped the woman.

The man glanced down and sighed at the absurdity of wanting to repair something that was already beginning to heal on its own. The blood had stopped and light scabs had formed. Despite the somewhat deep lacerations the hand seemed to be healing as though he had been stitched up.

"A freak like me doesn't need stitches for something this minor... but thank you for your concern." stated the man despondently.

"Freak..?" asked Serena in confusion. What did he mean by that. It made no sense. Wasn't it a good thing that he could heal so fast?

Scott nodded softly but refused to answer anything more. Instead he asked, "There are a few more people here than I suspected. Do you think there is enough room anywhere inside for everyone to talk Rei?"

She blinked and turned to look at the crowd then said, "Yeah.. probably in the shrine itself. Might be a little cramped though."

"It is a holy place Rei.. will it be ok to us it like that?" he asked her gently.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's often used to try and see the truth.. and since you claimed that's what all this was about..."

Scott nodded back at her in response. "Then.. let's go.. all of us. It's time for the truth."

The group murmured to themselves as they followed Scott and Rei into the shrine. The light from the constantly lit flame in the center glowed brightly in the otherwise unlit room. Scott walked to the other side of the fire and gestured for everyone to get comfortable.

No one wanted to get close to him at the moment since it seemed important for him to distance himself.

As Scott gazed across the room at everyone over the fire he looked into each of there eyes. He gazed into the windows that guarded the souls of all his friends and those they respected or loved. He looked into the eyes of the people he had betrayed.

They each grew quiet and expectant as he took a deep breath then said softly. "I am sorry. Please understand how much it pains me to tell you all what I am about to say. While I speak I ask that no one ask any questions or disturb what I say. I know many of you will wish to ask questions. It is best that I complete what must be said first."

Several members of the gathering nodded and a few looked concerned for Scott. The raw emotion in their faces pained the man greatly as he recalled how he had knowingly betrayed and failed them each in turn.

"I have a story I must tell you. It is a fantastic and hard to believe tale that some of you might scoff at. However, it is still important that I tell it."

The man took a deep breath after the crowd quieted down again before saying aloud, "In a time long ago.. a length of time that differs greatly by the telling of this tale.. there was once a golden age upon the earth.. in this entire solar system actually."

A few grunts of disapproval were heard from some people that Scott didn't know. His sensitive hearing picked up the words "brought us here for fairy tales". He glanced at the one who mumble and they grew quiet.

"Though this was an interplanetary golden age it was actually called.. the Silver Millennium." admitted the man. This announcement caused a few gasps and several head nods. The girls and the moon cats were of course especially interested in hearing what Scott had to say.

Scott took another deep breath and continued. "This was a time of relative peace and harmony. There were tensions between the Moon Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Earth. Honestly I do not know exactly what those tensions were. I suspect it had something to do with trade agreements but that is neither here nor there."

Luna nodded. That did sound somewhat right.

"During these tensions the princess of the moon..known of course as the moon princess.. fell in love with the handsome crown prince of the Earth."

Several of the naysayers groaned aloud at this fairy tale telling and threatened to leave at this point. Scott gazed silently at them and they once again quieted down.

"The name of this princess was.. Serenity.. which was also the name of the Queen of the Moon.. her mother." continued Scott as he turned to gaze directly at Serena.

Several sets of eyes turned to stare at the now wild eyed angel pokegirl as the implications set in. She was Sailor Moon. She probably had some relation to this princess.. especially with a name like hers.

"She was engaged to the handsome prince of Earth as I said. His name was Endymion. Some might know him in his guise as Nocturne."

Minako gasped aloud as what Artemis had called Scott the day before set in upon hearing this. Was Scott saying he was the same guy?

Scott smiled softly at her.

"These were not the only members of royalty in this time, however. Each of the planets in the system were populated by people and each had a royal family. These other planets had princesses.. and those princesses were the Sailor senshi of their respective planets."

Outside of the few mumbling about stupid childish stories no one spoke. This seemed like more than a story to the man so they let him continue.

"The moon of course had no senshi of its own. It had no need of one since the queen was far more powerful than any soldier. Each of the senshi were dedicated to guarding the princess and defending the moon kingdom. These guardians were separated into the inner and outer senshi. The inner senshi guarded the princess. The outer senshi guarded the solar system against outside threats."

"Look, i've had about enough of this!" exclaimed a man Scott didn't know. When Scott looked at him he refused to be quiet and continued his tirade. "We came all this way for some important meeting and all you want to do is tell is bullshit kiddie stories.."

"Bullshit.. kiddie stories. Kiddie stories such as the nigh unstoppable creatures that have been showing up to slaughter entire towns after draining them completely of life? I can understand your scorn but do shut up. You have no idea what you're saying."

"What! I will not stand for this insult. I will have you know I am a representative of the league and I.." railed the man.

"Am free to go on your way or shut your mouth. This is a meeting that will forever change people's lives. If you don't want to be a part of it you may leave. However, if you stay you WILL be silent or I will silence you."

"How dare you threaten me.. do you know what I am!"

"Expendable." stated Scott as a rising current of power from within him began to illicit a slow rumbling sound reminiscent of an electric guitar's strumming of a single power cord.

"Wha.. I.." garbled the man as several people stood up and stared at him. Finally as the danger he was in settled into the man's mind he grew pale and silent. If they wanted to waste their time with fairy tales that was fine by him.. hehe heh..heh..

"Right.. Anyway..the leader of the inner senshi was the princess of Venus." informed Scott as he gazed over at Minako. The girl smiled brightly after being mentioned.

"Even with the tensions between the Earth and Moon Kingdom's it was a happy time.. joyful. Technology and magic were at their height. Even the commoners could expect to live a thousand years. Which of course explains some of the ancient biblical references to people that lived for over a millennium."

As the latter reference failed to stick he shook his head and continued.

"However, not all was joy. There was one person at least that did not sleep well.. did not have joy in her heart. She was either a peasant woman or a shamaness depending on who you ask. Her name was Beryl.. and through her jealousy and unrequited love she destroyed almost all human life in the solar system forcing it to begin again from the tiny pocket remnants that managed to survive and the people of the Kingdom that Queen Serenity sent into the future to begin the cycle of reincarnation. It would take many thousands of years before humanity crawled out of the ashes of the "nuclear winter" the war had caused."

Luna was chomping at the bit to ask a few choice questions to the man. How could he possibly know all this?

"Beryl did not act alone. She was possessed by an evil being that either came from outside our reality or who was formed by solar radiation. This being has several names. Queen Metaria, Metallica, Metala, Metalia, or the Negaforce. It used Beryl's jealous and emotional pain to take her. Then using her as its mortal agent.. the armies of youma and transformed humans at her command conquered the Earth.. and then the moon. Destroying the people of the moon destroyed all the other life on the other planets as the power source for the atmospheric element creating technology was a deus ex machina artifact known as the ginzuishou. When no one was left alive on the moon to use it all of the others no doubt died horrible on the surfaces of no longer habitable planets."

"Admittedly.. the last part is a suspicion and can't be Empirically proven.. yet."

There were a thousand questions begging to be asked. Scott continued, however.

"Beryl and Metallica were defeated in the end. How it is done differs. Even the method of destruction of the kingdoms differs as one telling had it where the moon princess destroyed both kingdoms because her love with the prince was "forbidden". This seems unlikely, however."

"The two primary ways that this part of the story ends is either with the Queen using the power of the ginzuishou to its fullest to cast back the unstoppable armies of Queen Beryl and seal her away for a time. Then she sent all of her kingdom to be reborn on Earth since no where else in the solar system would be inhabitable."

Scott took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "The other ending involved the princess of Venus slaying Beryl with the holy moon sword. She dies in the battle herself. Queen Serenity once again kills herself by using all of her power and the ginzuishou to send her people, especially her daughter, to be reborn on Earth."

The man sighed.

"The next part of the tale.. it should have been a fairly interesting series of battles and emotional awakenings that occurr to teenage HUMAN girls roughly three hundred years ago in Juuban, which a prefecture of Tokyo Japan."

"Should have been?" asked Serena before saying "oops!" and slapping her hands across her mouth.

Scott nodded. "In the way of things... the reborn senshi and prince Endymion all meet.. they fight the dark kingdom.. or negaverse whichever term you prefer.. and ultimately though all her friends die.. the moon princess uses their love and loyalty to help her find the strength to wield the ginzuishou and once again destroy or seal away Beryl and Metallica."

"The ginzuishou had the power to allow people to live on planets that were uninhabitable.. resurrecting the dead was rediculously easy. The princess had no greater desire than to live a normal life with her friends. After defeating Beryl her dead friends were resurrected... but because the princess wanted to be normal none of them had memories of the battle.. none save the two feline advisors who had not directly been involved in the fight.. and thus had not died." continued Scott before glancing down at the two moon cats.

The man shook his head and continued. "This would not be the final battle they had all craved, however. A series of very powerful enemies appeared one after another. Finally the strongest threat of all.. Sailor Galaxia arrived. Almost all life was on the virge of being wiped out once again.. but the Moon princess.. once again facing off against the threat defeated her not with violence.. but with the compassion in her heart... She cried after the battle.. since her friends were dead. However, they did manage to be resurrected so everything turned out OK in the end."

Scott glanced over at the corner of the room and walked over to grab a broom. Then he walked back to his spot.

"Soon I will be done speaking and can answer questions." stated the man as he gripped the broom.

"I have told you a story.. as I know it... now it is time for to tell you HOW I know it.." began Scott with a slight waver in his voice.

He looked up at his friends and the others that were gathered. "First.. for those who do not know.. I am not of this Earth. I am from a parallel reality. I was not born here."

A few mumbled words, some harsh, some confused, were heard but they quieted down.

"In that reality we have television shows, books, movies, videogames, and manga that we adore."

Few people saw that as anything to remark about so remained quiet for the most part.

"The strange truth is that this entertainment media is actually an apparent window into other realities. I know the story I just told you... because I used to watch it every day. I was a major fan.."

"What..?! You wasted out time by telling us about a tv show you used to watch?" shouted the liaison again.

"I also wrote stories and in some small way might very well have helped create the world you are now bitching at me upon." stated Scott to the surprise of all. A host of questions were whispered swiftly and he waited for them to settle.

" Whether it was merely that I chronicled some stories.. or actually made them reality I do not know.. but I was aware of this world.. or at least one similar.. for a long while. Either way.. I do not know the truth."

Scott took a breath and his eyes closed tight. Then he faced the moment of truth. He now had to expressly inform the people he had grown to love that he had betrayed them.

A twin trail of tears slid along his cheeks before he slowly opened his eyes. "I have betrayed you all."

"What?" asked Makoto in confusion. She didn't understand. How did him watching Television.. and possibly creating their world... best not to think about that last part.. mean he betrayed them?

Scott sigh tiredly. "Don't you get it.. I knew damn it! I knew.. I knew everything.. to a point. I still know things. Things I haven't mentioned yet. I've blatantly kept information from all of you! I thought it was the right thing to do since I don't know if my informaion is right or true.. BUT.. there are things I could have done.. things I could have said.. our battles.. my failures.. they could have gone so differently..."

He heard loud gasps as the implications began to settle in. He had not been honest and forthcoming with them.

"I failed and betrayed all of you..and because of that.. and my recent actions on the bus mission.. I must step down as any sort of authority figure.. I can't be your leader.. I don't even deserve to be among you.." he finally admitted. His heart hammered in his chest. The moment of truth had passed. He had admitted that he'd been keeping secrets from them. He had admitted what he felt was his betrayal.

"Can we ask questions now?" asked Pirotessa after a few minutes passed. She had several she wanted to know answers to.

Scott answered with, "Yes, but I will be passing this broom over to this side of the room.." while pointing to the left. "Only the one holding the broom can ask a question. They can only ask one then they must pass the broom to the next person. This way only one person speaks at a time and everyone gets at least once chance to ask something of me." Aaron was the closest person to him. He could ask questions first.

Pirotessa nodded. That did seem fair if a bit arbitrary. If Scott had passed it to the right she would have gone third.

"Think of what you wish to ask. I'll only allow one question before the chance passes to another. Anyone that wishes to ask a second one must do so after the broom comes back to them or everyone else leaves."

"Ready?" Scott asked Aaron. The man nodded.

Scott tossed the broom over to him.

The older man caught it easily and took a deep breath. "Did you intend to lie and betray us or did it happen because you honestly thought it was the best course of action?"

Scott nodded at him. "Honestly.. I don't know for absolute certain that anything I think I know holds true. However, enough of it has that it might be. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Aaron processed that and nodded. He could accept that answer. Suspect intelligence reports were to be taken with a grain of salt after all. If his information really came from television shows then it was probably BEST that he had kept quiet about the source.

The broom passed to the league liaison. "You do realize that now I can have you arrested for not providing information that would be considered vital to the defense of this league don't you?"

Scott nodded. "Yes. I also intend to fully report everything I do know. This includes the most likely extremely general location of Beryl's main operating base."

"Oh? Where is that?" asked the man curiously.

Scott shook his head and pointed next to him at a dark elven archmage.

"To hell with your broom.. I want answers!"

"Suffer the mystery. Pass the broom." stated Scott with a hint of malice in his voice. He was really tired of this idiot.

"What.. I highly suggest you stop talking to me in this manner.. I have a great deal of pull in the.. league and.."

Scott sighed at the man and shook his head. "Shut up. Just shut up. The only reason you are here is that I had to let the league know about what information I do have. That information might not even turn out to be useful. Just pass the broom."

The man started to balk but finally just accepted that he wasn't making any headway with his threats and relented. He would be speaking with his superiors about the attitude of this knight.

Alanera, a drow archmage, accepted the broom with a curious expression and glanced up at Scott. "You claim to be the creator of this world. What did you mean by that?"

Scott shrugged. "Honestly. How would you react if you found out all your favorite fictional characters were real and existed together on a world you wrote alternate universal fiction about. I don't know if I created the place.. all I know about is that I am aware of many elements of it.."

Alanera considered that answer and decided that it made a strange sense. However, it did beg her to ask the question, "Am I one of these favored... characters?"

Scott smiled and pointed at her next door neighbor Saeko.

"I see. How interesting to take orders from a male.." stated the drowess with a comical lilt to her voice before handing the broom over to Saeko.

"When you said my daughter was someone capable of helping to save this world from destruction.. you meant she was one of these senshi.. how did you know? The name Ami is fairly common and so is blue hair."

Scott considered this. Somehow he had always "just known" that a particular girl was a senshi. Well in the case of Minako she needed a bath first.. and even then she was only remarkably similar to the onscreen version until he had seen her transform.

"I don't know how I know. I just know. In some ways it's like I know her favorite food is sandwiches, she wants to be a doctor, is embarrassed to admit she loves pop culture, and likes to read romance novels even if she would break out into a rash if a cute guy ever sent her a love letter."

Ami eeped loudly and tried to cover her face with her hands. That had REALLY hit the mark.

Saeko glanced down at her daughter and nodded. It wasn't much of an answer.. but it was an answer. She passed the broom to Ami.

The girl took a few minutes to recover but finally asked, "I..um.. I don't know what to ask.. There's so much.."

"It's ok.. take your time." said Scott softly to her with a gentle smile. The poor girl nearly fainted at such a thing.

"Uhm.. I.. You, you said we were princesses of our respective planets and that we defended our people and the moon princess? How did we do that?" she finally managed to ask between blushes.

Scott nodded. "The sailor senshi are powered by something known as 'sailor crystals'. They are either inside you or protected by your castle guardians. You will be able to transform into a sailor suited soldier of love and Exams once your memories of your past life start to surface, one of the cats manages to get you a henshin stick, or you find yourself in a terrible battle."

"I-i.. ok.." she said in an adorable stutter. She was rather proud of herself simply for being able to talk to him. She liked boys.. sometimes.. but this was no boy.. he was.. all man. How scandalous!

Ami passed the broom off to the next person like it was on fire. This happened to be Artemis.

The moon cat placed a paw on the broom and asked, "Where do you think Beryl is located?"

Scott nodded at the cat. "It might not be true but I think she can be found around the north pole. This was the seat of power for the Earth Kingdom at the time. In all instances of the story she was banished there."

Artemis nodded. That did sound vaguely possible. He passed the broom over to Minako.

The normally perky blond girl gazed up at Scott with shimmering eyes and asked, "Why did you hide this.. I know what you told Aaron.. but.. didn't you trust us?"

Scott winced visibly and turned his head to the side for a moment before looking back at her. He gazed into her eyes and said, "Minako.. I know what you just asked but that's not the question I will answer. Instead.. I will answer a different one.. it's a question that has plagued you for a long time."

The girl frowned at him cutely as that seemed to be a diversion. Scott reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small envelope. He had intended to give this to her after the meeting but now was as good a time as any.

"I didn't think to check this out since Artemis didn't show up till later.. you shouldn't have been able to do this but.. apparently you did." said the man enigmatically before moving around the fire and handing her the envelope.

"What is it.. she asked as she opened it."

"Your past Mina.." replied Scott seriously.

She opened the envelope curiously and almost dropped it. Inside where several images and they were mostly of her. Her a few years ago.

"Apparently even in this world Sailor V made the scene before the other senshi.. and even before I found her." said Scott softly.

The pictures where of Minako as a younger girl wearing a red mask and a modified version of her senshi uniform.

"You were born in the blue league.. your parents are known as Johnathan and Sarah Lovejoy. Your name is Mina Lovejoy. You were reported missing four years ago. If I could have figured out how to contact them they would be here by now." stated Scott.

Minako began to cry softly as she looked at two pictures that were not of her. They were obviously her parents.

The girl cried softly and passed the broom on before moving to the wall to sit down and stare at her envelope's contents.

The next person was Ryoko.

"Master.. Did I have a place in the silver millennium?" asked the girl. She had felt rather left out of the group at times since she didn't have a snazzy transformation sequence.

"I'm sorry Ryoko but.. I don't think so. If it helps there is another anime series I am aware of that reminds me of you. It's called battle royale highschool.. in it you.. or the you in that timeline.. end up receiving an incredible power and train to become a true samurai. You also kick a lot of ass."

Ryoko smiled tentatively at him. "Oh." it wasn't what she had wanted to hear but she would accept it. The sad amazon wu passed on the broom to Makoto.

Makoto asked him something that he truly hated to answer, "Where my parents alive in the story you mentioneed?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm sorry Makoto.. your parents died in a plane crash..."

She sighed softly and nodded. Part of her had hoped at least one of her versions had gotten to spend more time with her parents. The amazonchan gave the broom to Serena.

"Scott.. did.. did you.. you said there was no sailor moon in the moon kingdom..?"

"No Serena.. there was no sailor moon. That is because you are in fact.. the reborn moon princess." revealed Scott. It was not the major realization she would have reached in the series but she did need to know.

"I.. I am.. me.. I.. me?" she asked dumbly with wide innocent eyes.

Scott smiled softly at her as she tried to comprehend the ramifications of being reincarnated interplanetary royalty.

Luna received the broom next. "Do you really expect us to trust you after you revealed this?"

The girls glared down at the cat but she held her ground.

"No." stated Scott Simply.

The cat seemed like she wanted to say something but simply looked up at Mr. Tsukino.

The man bent down and picked up the broom.

"Why did you wait so long to tell us our daughter was safe?"

Scott winced then replied, "Honestly.. between the fighting, constant near death escapes and personal dramas.. I forgot."

The man frowned angrily at him then relented. He had removed his daughter from the clutches of that scumbag tamer after all.

The broom was handed off to Mrs. Tsukino.

"Has Serena been alright.. I mean.. has she been safe?"

Scott thought about the question for a moment then shook his head. "She's been alright but none of us have been safe. Your daughter is a hero ma'am. She's helped save dozens of lives already and stands as a central figure in a war to save the very existence of life on our world."

Mrs. Tsukino gasped and covered her mouth in horror. When Scott had promised to be honest he had proven to be brutally so. The woman would now be worried sick and very proud for some time to come.

There was a little confusion as to who would take the broom next, Molly or Sammy. Eventually Sammy took it and asked, "Have you been doing naughty things with my sister?"

"Sammy!" gasped Serena in shock.

"Yes." stated Scott simply. Serena gawked at him then flushed brightly before letting out a nervous giggle. The girls made a few half-hearted attempts and teasing her but soon fell quiet.

Sammy, thoroughly pleased with his answer, handed the broom to Molly.

"Can you ever bring Serena back home... I mean.. we all miss her!" exclaimed Molly as both a question and a plea.

"Certainly. We'll need to go to town soon anyway and you two can do whatever it is teenage girls do in town."

"Wow, really! Thank you!" gushed the red haired girl. He was so nice to allow that. Serena beamed a happy smile which he returned softly.

The broom passed to Deedlit, whom Scott had not met. She asked, "So... just how much do you know about people specifically.. I mean.. I heard you knew a little about my homeworld."

Scott gazed softly at her. "I wish you and Parn could have had far longer time with you. You were a very sweet couple even if his cluelessness and single minded devotion to training often frustrated you to know end."

Deedlit blushed lightly and shook her head. She really didn't know what to make of that. When her mind moved into X-rated territory she gasped at him like a dying fish. Had he seen...

Scott smiled at her softly. The elf girl passed on the broom like it was the stick of death.

Now it was Finally Pirotessa's turn.

The dark elf gazed down at the broom for a moment then looked up at him. "I..want to know what you know about me and.. Ashram... I know its a petty question considering the world is at stake but.."

Scott gazed softly at her and smile gently. "You may be a dark elf.. but you have a heart more loyal than anyone I can think of. I know about what transpired on lodoss. I know of how You, Ashram, and the surviving Marmot set sail from there to find a new land and eventually came across Crystania. I know of barbus.. I know of Sheru.. I know.. of your .."

"That.. that's enough.. please.. that's... enough.." she whispered softly as tears came unbidden to her eyes. He had always known about her secret pain. He'd chosen not to speak of it then and she didn't want him to speak of it now. Shakily she passed the broom on to Kai Harn.

The sorceress frowned at him and asked, "How did you break my petrification spell?"

"I knew the source god of your ancient magic. I also knew someone that could defeat his power." replied Scott simply.

Kai Harn frowned at him and shook her head. He had probably read about it somewhere. She passed the Broom to Arshes Nei.

The half dark elf gazed silently at him for a moment then asked, "Is there anything I could have done to avoid.. being here?"

Scott blinked. This was a question he couldn't answer. "Honestly, I don't know. You never came here in any of the stories. Though to be fair I only know the manga up to the point where Dark Schneider rips his own beating heart from his chest to free you from the blue nail curse of the accused then later gets resurrected by the awakening power of anthrasax the god of destruction."

"What are you talking about.. why would I have the blue nail curse?" she asked.

Scott shook his head. She had asked her question.

The dark elf growled at him but relented and handed him the broom.

"Does anyone else have a question?" he asked then.

Over a dozen hands went up immediately. It seemed everyone had at least one more question.

Scott sighed to himself. It promised to be a long night.

----

Author's note: Hey look ... FINALLY another chapter.

Sorry about the wait..ive been updating other pokegirl stories I write. I hope this chapter is received well!

Please read and review. Thank you! 


	25. Dark Knight Rising

The evening air was crisp and clean as Scott sat on a tree branch two miles from the shrine. He'd wanted to get away for a while. He wasn't running away from what he had done but he needed some quiet time away from the truth.

He didn't understand it. There had been no recriminations, no hateful cursing of his name by anyone that he cared about. The knowledge he possessed had been accepted and any hurt they had from it had been bottled up apparently. At least that was what it seemed like when he was around. What was worse that this was the fact that several of his friends had tried to make HIM feel better about the situation.

Scott sighed softly as the sun began to set in the west. He'd spent all of the previous night talking. He'd spend all of the following day explaining what he was talking about. Nothing made sense. They all insisted he stay on as leader. How could they ask that of him after what he'd kept from them?

The guilt inside him had largely alleviated after bearing his soul but he still felt like he'd done wrong.

The crickets had been chirping noisily for some time now but suddenly they stopped. The quiet caught Scott's attention and he began to scan his surroundings.

To his surprise Pirotessa was standing on a tree limb directly opposite of him with perfect poise and balance despite having one hand behind her back. She was wearing an outfit that was very familiar. It was one he had never seen her wear outside of the anime she had been part of back home. She stared at him hard, even in the failing light he could clearly see that she possessed red rimmed eyes that were fighting back tears.

Several quiet moments passed before the first cricket dared to chirp again. After this climatic moment Pirotessa spoke. "How.. How could you..?"

Scott shook his head. "How could I what P-chan? Hold out on you..? Keep to myself knowledge of your life that only you should possess? Refuse to hurt you by dredging up old and incredibly painful memories?"

She glowered at him darkly. "No! How could you ...?" she began again but found herself unable to say the words she needed to.

The man from another world gazed upon a dark elf from yet another world. He saw her begin to tremble. She was struggling hard not to simply break down right here and this set off warning bells in his mind. Something was seriously upsetting her and it had little to do with his knowledge of Lodoss.

"P-chan.." he began. When her head snapped up the anger had fled and on her face was pain and worry. Scott was at a loss for a moment then as the moment passed he asked, "Can you forgive me for not noticing it sooner?"

She blinked and turned her face to the side so she didn't have to look at him. "Notice.. what?"

Scott smiled at her gently. "You know.. I don't know what REALLY happened where you are from but.. I never thought of the Marmo or you as evil despite the type casting.." he decided to say as a way of changing the subject.

She widened her eyes at the welcome change of subject then asked, "You didn't.. ? Why not.. we were trying to conquer and subjugate an entire continent. Most people thought we were scum even before that."

Her interdimensional former minion shook his head. "No one on Marmo was scum unless they chose to be. Even the goblins had a right to live better than they did."

"Goblins.. a right to live better?" she asked bemusedly. Would they even have known how to do more than live in caves and hunt oversized rats?

Scott nodded at her. "Yes, goblins, dark elves, trolls, even ugly old human beings with their big asses and short ears deserved better than being stuck on that doubly cursed rock."

She blinked at him. He actually sounded like he meant that. It reminded her so much of... But he was gone, centuries of time and a universe separated them.

"You're so strange... in my younger days I would think you were a fool."

"The younger Pirotessa would have been right."

She smiled tentatively. She had tried her best to move past all the pain in her old life but she knew she hadn't really. She had just locked it away inside her and now it came out. It was so strange hearing someone that knew something of her people and the war they started that did not think them murdering monsters.

"Hmm.. perhaps she would. Still, I.. I came out here.."

Scott wondered which direction this conversation would go. Would she profess her undying dark elven sexy live for him (yeah right she wasn't into him like that and he knew it)? Would she ask about what he thought of her? would she ask if there was any way to have saved Ashram?

She bit her bottom lip. Scott considered her standing there both nobly and timidly. She had gone through a great deal since her days during the war of heroes.

"Scott.. I.. Do you.. think we were wrong? You could see everything in your story right? Do you.. was the emperor and Ashram wrong for trying to unite Lodoss?"

For some reason he suspected that wasn't what she really wanted to ask him but he decided to answer it anyway. "Honestly?"

She nodded slowly.

"What Flaus asked emperor Beld to do wasn't wrong or right. She wanted Lodoss to be united under one strong rule so all the warring would stop. I can't condone his methods and would have thoroughly opposed the war but I can understand the purpose and agree with the concept of a unified Lodoss."

She took all that in and tried to reconcile it with what she recalled. It seemed he had a good idea overall of what happened and it did mollify her slightly to know that at least it wasn't all for naught if people could understand why they had tried to conquer Lodoss Island.

"You know besides Wagnard and to some clueless extent Karla there really were no true villains in that war. It was simply opposing ideologies and survival instincts."

"Is that so?" asked the dark elf thoughtfully from her tree. She wasn't so sure of that. Sometimes she looked back on her earlier life and wondered what it was all for. Then of course it would always come back to one man. A man she had loyally served for centuries with little hope of his salvation.

Scott allowed one of his legs to dangle over the edge of his tree limp while the other stretched along its length. He had no fear of falling. Even if he snapped his neck he doubted he'd die from it. He was beginning to wonder if he could die at all. The shear amount of near death experiences and hospital stays made him wonder what it would take to actually kill him.

The two were quiet for a time as night birds and crickets sang. It was nice to know that at least some animals survived. Of course for all he knew those might be alien crickets from an alternate dimension. There seemed to be a great deal of that going on.

"Scott.."

The man glanced over at his... friend and smiled. "Yes, P-chan?"

The dark elf grew quiet for a brief moment and glanced down at the ground. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Then after this time passed she looked back up again. "How bad is it.. this Negaverse you mention?"

The man from another world shook his head. "Bad Pirotessa. Ya know how I said I can see the reasoning for the Marmo invasion of Lodoss even if I couldn't agree with it?"

She nodded. "Yes.."

"That was because it was people warring over the same cause viewed through different philosophies. The Negaverse.. it's different.. it doesn't want to rule."

She gazed at him pointedly for a moment and then steeled herself. "What does it want then?"

Scott looked up at her with a world weary expression, "The complete and total destruction of all life. The Negaverse, or dark kingdom if you will, is nothing but a bunch of puppets being controlled by an evil being that wants to suck the entire planet dry of its life force.. then move on to another. It is hatred, envy, and chaos with no purpose other than destruction."

"Could it really do that.. destroy all life?"

Scott nodded slowly. "Yes, it nearly did so once before. If the story is even remotely true then nearly all of the sentient life and much of the animal life on the planet was absorbed into itself and the bodies of the fallen became youma. Though that's my interpretation.. some claim that the people were simply converted and they remained alive."

Pirotessa bit her lip softly and turned to look at the full moon. It was the second of the three nights that the moon would be full this month.

As she gazed at the moon she thought about her past and her future. She knew Scott would be a central figure in the battles to come but he wasn't strong enough. He was powerful, but he was a weak length compared to his harem. There was something she could offer him but she couldn't make herself give it up to him until hearing the truth.

"So.. umm.. dark elf of my dreams.. what's with the adventuring garb. You planning on waging a war or just trying to make my eyes bug out of my head?" he asked her in a soft masculine voice.

She fought back a blush and started picking at her outfit. She'd never been so self-conscious of it before. "What this old thing?"

Scott barked out a sudden laughter that caught her off guard. Soon they were both giggling.

As the laughter started to die down she said, "I thought it appropriate since I am coming with you from now on."

The man quirked an eyebrow at her. "Not that I would dislike your company P-chan but what about the institute?"

She shook her head sending her platinum blond hair waving back and forth. "Already handled. I'm coming."

"What if I wanted to keep you safe and said no?" he asked her lightly.

She snorted at him. "Maybe you'd have to beat me to make me stay behind?"

"Maybe you'd like that too much?"

She blinked then smirked at him, "Now why would I enjoy such a thing?"

The man smirked at her in kind, "You may be a natural blond.. but your roots are showing P-chan."

Her eyebrows arched lightly at the mention of her roots and her smirk deepened to a predatory gleam. "How much do you know about my roots, mere human that you are?"

Scott chuckled at her softly. "Sticks and stones may break your bones but whips and chains excite you?"

She choked a little then released a surprised giggle at him. He was such a goof ball unlike Ashram.. Pirotessa thought over the fact that she kept comparing Scott to her late beloved king and paramour. While there were definite similarities they were not the same sort of people at all.

Ashram only laughed when he was fighting. Most of the time he scowled. The black knight of Marmo had a certain danger about him that mixed well with his aura of command.

Scott.. was currently making weird motorboat noises in the branches of a tree. He laughed a lot whenever he didn't try to take the burden of the world on his shoulders. He was reasonably decent with a sword but Ashram would have carved him up readily. The only thing they seemed to share was her interest in them.. and a desire to soldier on and conquer their foes.

She knew that if he was to fulfill what she suspected to be his ultimate destiny as a world saving hero he'd need proper equipment. She'd gone home via Alanera and retrieved a special item for the man. It was something incredibly precious to her despite its hateful nature. It once served the man she loved.. and despite her inability to reconcile those feelings she knew deep down that tonight it would once again serve such a man.

"Scott.. I.. I didn't just come out here to chat about old times you weren't a part of.."

The tree limb perched man blinked and then asked, "Yes Pirotessa? Why else did you come..?"

The dark elf sighed and removed her hand from behind her back. Clenched in her fist was a sword.

It took Scott a moment to recognize exactly what he was seeing but when he did his eyes slowly widened to the point of bugging out. "P-chan.. that.. that's not...?"

"So.. you recognize it then? I thought that you might.."

"Soul Crusher.. How do you have it.. I thought.. I mean.. shouldn't it have been buried with Ashram?"

She glared at him hatefully for a moment then her expression softened and she replied to him, "I.. could not allow some grave-robber to steal this sword. No one would have bothered it for decades, perhaps a century or two, but eventually someone would have come for it. There is always someone that thinks they deserve its power."

Scott gazed at the cursed blade and shuddered softly. That thing.. it was only safe to carry it while it was sheathed. Once someone actually draws it from its sheathe the blade would try to devour their soul.

"That blade.. it.. that's Ashram's blade Pirotessa. I can't.. it wouldn't be right.."

"I don't know if you ever heard it in your stories. Once on the voyage to Crystania Ashram told me that even though it was an evil blade he would keep it.. he needed its power to defend what he loved.."

"Ashram.. I never really knew him.. but.. from I could see.. he was a brave and honorable man..." replied Scott as he saw the obvious pain on the face of his friend. Even the darkness could not hide such agony with the full moon shining.

"So are you.. and you.. you have people you love and need to protect.."

Scott nodded softly. Then while gazing into her eyes from across the gap between the tree limbs he said, "Yes Pirotessa.. there are people I do love and need to protect."

She closed her eyes gently for a moment as a slow smile spread on her lips. He'd made his point quite well.

"There is a problem though... its not called the demon blade or the accursed sword for nothing.. that thing.. it is powerful.. it took Ashram months to master it. We might not have that much time.."

The dark elf nodded. "You need a proper weapon. Your magic seems to be growing stronger. The sword you currently wield won't hold up much longer. It grows dull and weak because your mystical power is too much for it."

"Yes.. it will probably break on me one day soon.. Still.." admitted Scott slowly. He knew the sword could be a major help but it was such a longshot that he could even control it.

"There is also the fact that the demon king that bonded with the sword is greatly weakened now. It has not fed on a destroyed soul in nearly four hundred years."

Scott thought about that seriously for a moment. From what he could recall the thoughts on what soul crusher actually did varied. Some believed it simply destroyed a soul and was singularly powerful. Other people thought that when it destroyed a sword it took some of the fallen opponent's life force to strengthen itself. There were several other theories. From what Pirotessa was saying it sounded like this particular version of Soul Crusher might work like the second concept espoused.

The man gazed intently at his first long term friend in this world and nodded slowly. "If you wish to entrust me with the legacy of that sword I will accept it and the consequences of my choice."

She nodded back to him seriously then moved forward and did a short, for her anyway, hop across the branches then held the sword out to him.

Scott reached up to take the sheathe of the greatsword then as his fingers grasped it he said, "Thank you for trusting me with this.."

She nodded at him as a few previously unshed tears began to slide down her cheeks. She had finally given up the last tangible item of her love for Ashram.

The men held the blade sheathe tight in his hand and gazed up at the friend that had decided to entrust her heart to him. The fact that this blade was in his hand spoke more of her feelings than anything else. This blade which she had used to slay her only love to set his soul free of the dark god that possessed him.

"So.. draw forth your mighty blade hero.." said Pirotessa through her tears.

Scott smiled at her but did not grasp the hilt. "Not in this tree and not with you so close. This thing might have enough presence of mind to try and make me kill you if you're within striking distance."

She blinked then nodded slowly at him. This was true. The dark elf jumped down from the tree branch and moved a short distance away to give Scott room. She wanted to be there when he drew the blade for the first time.

Scott followed suit soon after. He landed quite a bit heavier than the lithe elf but he was not injured in any way.

The man took a deep breath and stared down at the sword sheathed in his hand. He gazed at the blade known as Soul Crusher. He considered its lines, its curves, and its history. Scott took in the sight of a sheathed sword that had slain both a demon king and a god.

He took another deep breath and steeled himself for the shock to come. He knew that the moment he touched the handle of this blade he would be locked in a spiritual struggle with the sword's demonic spirit. He would have to move with purpose and decisiveness when he took control of the blade.

Scott flexed his hand, wiggled his fingers, then with another deep breath he grasped firmly the handle of the blade and drew it out in one swift motion with a roar that would have intimidated most anything.

He primal scream echoed into the night but no further screams occurred. The man stood there with the blade fully drawn in a manner akin to a statue as he breathed in and out slowly.

There were many things he had thought he would feel upon drawing this accursed blade. The absolute absence of anything at all was not one of those suspected feelings.

He blinked stupidly for a moment then raised the sword up to eye level and stared at it with a frown. Following this he proceeded to shake the indomitable blade of utter destruction and soul crushing force. It showed no sign of being concerned by that.

Pirotessa gazed upon him with concern as he seemed to shake the sword violently. 'He must be struggling with the demon of the blade.. such conviction!' thought the dark elf from the world of Forceria.

Finally in annoyance at the lack of inner conflict he stared at the blade and thought in confusion, 'What's wrong with you?'

A soft and strangely feminine whimper emanated from the sword. Scott thought he had imagined it for a moment but then it came again softly in a simplistic child-like voice, 'Hungrrry...'

The sword that had slain a demon and then a god was not exactly an overwhelming force right now. Scott blinked at the sword as he considered what it was talking about.

'Blood.. and souls..' expressed the sad and incredibly lonely sounding feminine voice.

The man shuddered at the disconcerting disparity between the desire for blood and the voice that spoke of. Apparently this version of Soul Crusher really was a vampiric sword that drew on the life force of those it slew.

'Hello.' thought Scott loudly while looking at the sword. It took a moment but a very weak 'Hi..' echoed back. Somehow it managed to sound shy and afraid despite being a thing of evil.

The man from another world held a sword from yet another world in his hands and despite the evil twisted nature of the thing he couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for it current state.

He couldn't resist asking it something though. 'Sword.. I thought you were a demon blade.. what happened?'

The world was silent for a moment as even the crickets stopped chirping briefly. Then finally the blade answered, 'I was hungry.. now... so lonely..'

He remembered some of the lore. The blade hadn't truly become tainted till it absorbed the soul of the demon king that was slain by it. However, it was a magical sword even before that. He was probably wrong but it sounded like the sword was claiming it had finished digesting the soul of that demon king over the last few centuries and it was lonely and starving.

Scott continued gazed down at the sword and asked, 'Will you accept me as your master without conflict?'

A short time passed and the blade answered, 'Will you feed me.. and keep me company?'

Scott answered the sword without pause 'If I can choose the opponents, the blood and souls you wish to devour as well as allow me total and complete dominion over you then yes.. I will feed you and keep you company.'

'I am yours master..' responded the sweet child-like voice of the blade in a tone that disturbed the man greatly. It had subtle undertones that made him quite uncomfortable.

Scott spoke aloud to the blade to seal the deal, "You are mine."

Pirotessa arched an eyebrow at the strange admissal then blinked as Scott sheathed the sword and smiled at her tiredly. "That was.. interesting.."

The dark elf nodded. It certainly had been.

"Is there anything else you want to do or can we call it a night P-chan.. i'm a little tired."

She flushed at his question then shook her head. "I.. just.. let's just go to bed."

Scott gasped at her in faux-shock. "Why P-chan.. how very forward of you!"

Normally she would snort at him or scoff but tonight seeing him hold that sword she could only look at him and shake her head. "I don't care.."

The man blinked. He had just been playing with her but she was acting strangely serious. Things got even more confusing when she slid her hand to the left side of her white extremely low cut outfit and pushed one side open before shrugging her shoulder out of it. Soon the other shoulder followed and then the one piece ensemble slid to the ground and she stood there before him in all of her naked glory. The moonlight shone brightly against her coppertoned flesh. It accentuated her every curve as she opened her eyes, which she had closed as she undressed.

Then as she stood there she smiled timidly at the man she had grown so fond of.

Scott was not sure what to say about this turn of events. This was no time for words anyway. He placed the sword to the ground and slipped off his own clothing. He didn't manage it with remotely similar amounts of grace but once it was done he moved swiftly across the gap between them and stood in front of her as the moon shined down upon them.

Lips moved forward tenderly until they met each other. Hands found secret places to hold and caress. In the hearts of a man from another world and a dark elf a new bond was forming that had nothing to do with genetics.

-----

Chapter 25: Dark Knight Rising

-----

Morning came swiftly to the shrine as the occupants began to stir. Minako yawned lightly as she hopped out of her tree and looked around. Her guard shift with Makoto was over. The amazon-chan was stationed in another neighboring tree. Guard duty sucked but it had allowed them time to reflect while they tried to safe guard the area. Generally they would patrol the grounds for an hour then set up in a different location for a few minutes. It wasn't a perfect situation and it could be a bit boring but it was necessary. They were at war after all.

She had reported the shout in the woods back to the SOG (sergeant of the guard) last night but Serena had said not to worry about it. Of course that could have just been her being lazy.

Every night a minimum of three people in the harem and Aaron would stay up guarding the place so their friends and family could sleep safely. It sucked but it had to be done.

"So, what do you think the plan will be for the day?" asked Makoto. She knew Scott was planning something soon but no one knew what was coming up for certain.

Minako shook her head. "No idea. Though, he did say that since we insisted on keeping him on as the leader then it was time to start strategizing."

The tiger landed nearby with a flap of wings and regarded the two pokegirls for a moment before lying down and closing its eyes. Neither pokegirl wanted to know why it had blood drying around its mouth or where said blood had come from. Minako shuddered involuntarily as she recalled the shout from the night before.

The massive feline blinked its wide yellow eyes and looked into the forest. Minako and Makoto span around and got into combat stances. The tension didn't ease in their forms until they saw Scott and Pirotessa walking out of the woods.

"Wha?" asked Minako as she took in the sight of them. It looked like they'd been in some kind of fight! Scott and Pirotessa both were covered in scratches and terrible bruises. Of course Scott's were already healing but still!

The two stopped as they realized they were caught but had the decency to flush brightly.

"Scott! What happened! Who attacked you?" asked Minako excitedly. Whoever it was they were gonna pay!

The man's eyes widened in shock at the exclamation and was at a loss for how to answer that. Pirotessa started too but the door to the shrine opened and out came several of the others to see what the noise was about.

"What's going on?" asked Serena in worried confusion. She'd head someone shouting out here.

"Wha.. what happened to you two? Was there a fight?" asked Rei before her nose began to notice a strange but somewhat familiar scent in the air.

"Someone dared to strike my master! A samurai cannot stand for such things! I shall avenge you my master!" cried out Ryoko as she leveled her wooden blade.

"Uhm.." began Scott as he tried to get in a word edgewise.

Soon Aaron was on the scene as well asking questions. His appearance was followed by Ami as she came wandering out in her aquamarine colored jammies and fuzzy slippers. She yawned loudly then blushed at being caught doing such a thing.

The rest of the group came out by ones or twos, including Grandpa Hino, until everyone was congregating in the open air trying to decide what was going on. Scott and Pirotessa glanced and each other and shook their heads. It promised to be a very interesting morning after.

Several hours later, after the situation was explained, and many gasps of surprise and good natured ribbing occurred, The group met in the sacred fire room to discuss a few things. It was the easiest place indoors there to accommodate the group and it seemed appropriate still.

"So, Scott.. what's the plan?" asked Artemis. He was one of the first to speak up the day before when it came to keeping Scott the leader. When Scott had tried to give up leadership it had come as a major shock. He had been the only thing that really held them together in the first place. His insistence that he should never have been in charge was shouted down loudly. While he had delivered a massive emotional blow to everyone it wasn't completely out of left field that he knew more than he had let on. He'd mentioned the stories and fiction he'd read or seen back home on occasion. It was simply the depth of his knowledge that bothered everyone.

Scott nodded to the moon cat before he took a deep breath. "If we are to win this thing we have to stop being a day late and a dollar short.."

"Huh?" asked Kai Harn. She wasn't really part of the group but she did serve Arshes Nei. Nei, despite her occasional quarreling with Scott did consider herself to be nominally part of the situation if not his group specifically.

"Just an old expression.. basically.. we keep barely surviving battles with what amounts to nothing more than the monster of the week. If we can't find a way to be more effective against the weaker monsters of the Negaverse then we have no hope of ever defeating their generals much less the Negaforce."

"Then.. there's.." began Scott as he thought about the power scale of their current enemy compared to the true final battle.. if such does occur. Metallica, Metaria, whatever the fuck she calls herself in this timeline was a termite compared to the true 'final boss' of the Sailor Mooniverse.

"So.. what you want us to keep training?" asked Makoto. She had been working really hard but she had not improved that much recently. Only actual fights really increased a pokegirls experience and power in swift order. They had all been fighting each other so much in practice that it was no longer much of an increase to battle each other.

Scott nodded at her. "Yes, there is that. However, there are also other possibilities."

"Such as?" asked Aaron curiously. He was interested in anything that gave them an edge. They had had too many close calls in their battles for any possible aid to be let slip through their fingers.

"Well, for starters we need to find the other four senshi. I know one of them at least exists in this world." admitted Scott thoughtfully.

"Pluto!" exclaimed Artemis helpfully. He had seen her after all.

"Huh.. you know who the other senshi are?" Minako asked the little white cat.

"We've seen her.. on the roof of the shrine.." admitted the cat.

"Wait.. hold up.. you've seen another senshi..HERE? Why isn't she with us?" squawked Serena excitedly.

Scott answered her. "Honestly, I'm not sure. She might be stuck guarding the gates of time, she might be any number of things. She can't stay long whenever she shows up. The only two times I have seen her it had been a full moon. She admitted to at least having a hand in me being here in the first place."

"What are the gates of time Master?" asked Ryoko. The wanna-be samurai girl felt incredibly left out since she didn't have any connection to the silver millenium or these sailor thingies. She was just a pokegirl and not a reincarnated princess after all.

"They are a doorway between times.. a passage between the past, present, and future. A type of time machine." stated the man. He could definitely see the uses of such a thing. Too bad they probably wouldn't be able to use it.

"Wait.. hold up.. a time machine? We could.. we could.. we could DO something with that right?" asked Makoto excitedly. Why they could pop back and forth and set things right! She wasn't exactly sure what that meant but it was worth a try.

"Honestly I don't know. Since the only way I know how to use it involves Sailor Pluto and her staff, there's no way to access it. Well.. not unless a pink haired brat from the future comes back in time with a key or something."

"A pink haired brat?" asked Serena curiously.

Scott nodded to her. "Yes, in the original story that I spoke of you and Endymion have a daughter a thousand years from now. Well, seven hundred or so years from now. Her name varies, but she was given a key that would allow her to travel back and forth in time. It was a means to protect her from a time traveling threat."

"Can we expect this.. pink haired child.. to show up?" asked Pirotessa thoughtfully as she leaned against a wall of the room with her arms folded across her beautifully crafted chest.

"Honestly.. unless we can find Endymion.. survive the current crises.. and set up a crystal Tokyo.. I don't think so. The Negaverse is just the first in a long line of enemies that can destroy the planet.. It's a powerful opponent but nothing compared to some of the ones that will come after them."

"There's something WORSE than the Negaverse?" exclaimed Luna in shock. Her fur was standing up at the very idea of a stronger enemy.

"Yeah.. there are many would-be enemies. Some can be converted to friends.. several are weaker than the Negaverse.. a few are MUCH stronger. The strongest opponent we are likely to face could annihilate Metallica and every youma in the dark kingdom without much thought."

"Wha.. what?! We .. what kind of enemy is that!" exclaimed Minako in shock. She'd been fighting the Negaverse longer than anyone else. Her appearances in the Blue League might be tied to early Negaverse activity.

"A single person, a valiant warrior that took the true essence of the spirit of chaos and destruction into herself to protect the rest of the galaxy from it. It corrupted her over time and now she lives solely to destroy all that exists. She goes by the name Sailor Galaxia and she is the strongest senshi in the Galaxy."

"Our strongest opponent is a senshi like us?" asked Makoto in surprise. This was a shock to be sure.

Scott nodded. "She has other corrupted senshi that follow her. However, if we can't handle the current crises we'll never be able to stop her. We need to focus on Beryl and the dark kingdom."

It seemed like a few of the group wanted to find out more about these other threats. Still, they saw the point in focusing on the danger at hand instead of dangers that might not even exist if his story was wrong.

"So, how do we beat her?" asked Rei. She might not have shown her senshi side yet but she felt like she was a part of this. She wanted to know.

"We won't be able to do it the way we have been. Stumbling across her schemes won't work. We need to get stronger and we need to utilize the resources we have at hand as well."

"So, what do you suggest?" asked Aaron.

Scott turned to him and nodded. "First off.. are there any starlightXpress pokegirls in this league?"

"What..? Hmm.. I know of no such pokegirl type.. are they new?"

The man from another world blinked and shook his head. "No. They are supposed to be rare but they evolve from cabbits."

"Um.. what's a cabbit?" asked Serena curiously.

"Hold on, let me check something." said Scott before he left the room and returned two minutes later with his dex. He opened up a search function and tried to find the entry for cabbit. Then when that didn't show up he tried the starlightXpress. Once again there was nothing. It was as though those pokegirl breeds didn't exist.

"Apparently they are either extremely rare or they don't exist. Which sucks. They were our best bet."

"Why's that?" asked Ami in a bout of confidence. She was feeling both strange and excited bye being included in this meeting.

"The starlight is a pokegirl that can create a shell with an atmosphere. They work as living spaceships and would have allowed us access to the ruins of the moon kingdom, transport to Beryl's castle, and the possible capacity to find the orbital fortresses each of the senshi has."

"Wait.. we have fortresses?!" exclaimed Serena excitedly. She had like a castle and stuff? That was so cool!

"Well.. the other senshi do.. you have something far more precious and it is as much of a priority to get you set right with that as it is to find the other senshi."

"What could be better than fortresses and technology from their age if it is as advanced as you think it is?" asked Pirotessa.

Arshes nodded at that. She hadn't really spoken much during this meeting but she had been taking it all in.

"The single most important artifact of the silver millennium and the only actual hope we have of being able to defeat the negaverse."

Scott gazed at everyone intently then nodded. "The ginzuishou. The greatest physically representative power in the universe. It is an artifact capable of bringing life to entire worlds and restoring life to worlds that have been destroyed. It can rewrite existence and banish even the strongest of evils."

"Wow! That would be really great to have!" exclaimed Ryoko. That sounded like just what they needed.

"Are you saying with this.. ginzuishou.. we could defeat our current enemy?" asked Aaron.

Scott nodded slowly.. "It's vital actually. In point of fact it was the only reason Queen Serenity was able to seal away the negaverse in the first place as well as send her daughter and her court to the future to be reborn on Earth."

"I can understand you keeping a lot of what you told us to yourself.. but why hide this?" asked Minako thoughtfully.

"Yeah.. we should have been looking for it...!" exclaimed Makoto before blushing lightly at her outburst.

"Looking for it won't do any good. We've had it all along." stated Scott. After his fateful words eyebrows shot up. He'd mentioned the ginzuishou during the meeting the other night but hadn't really answered too many questions about it.

"What...? You had it all along! Why.. wouldn't you use it?" asked Serena in surprise.

"I don't have it Serena. You do." stated Scott confidently.

"What.. the meatball head has it?" asked Rei in shock. She was imagining Serena with a weapon that could destroy or create worlds and the cold sweats were about to start.

Serena glared hatefully at Rei then turned back to Scott. "But.. but.. I don't have anything like that!"

"I told you all about the 'sailor crystals' you possess. The ginzuishou is your sailor crystal. Unfortunately it is fractured and separated. Only the core piece is currently within you. We need to find the other fragments before your true identity as the moon princess will resurface. You quite literally are the last best hope of all life on this planet... no pressure huh?" Scott informed the angel pokegirl.

Serena's eyes bugged out at his admission and several others shook their head in disbelief. If what Scott was saying was true then the world's ultimate fate currently rested in the hands of a somewhat flakey angel pokegirl that tripped over her own feet and routinely forgot she could fly.

"Well.. that's.. just great.. we're all doomed." sighed out Rei sarcastically.

"Heee-eey" cried out Serena in shock at the catgirl. How dare she say such an obvious truth.. er thing aloud!

"So.. we retrieve these.. fragments and we win this war?" asked Arshes Nei with interest. This artifact sounded very powerful. She'd like to see it first hand.

Scott shook his head. "We regain the ginzuishou for Serena and we have a chance to win.. the army we're about to raise will have to actually make certain we can get her there."

"Army?" asked Aaron.

The dimensionally displaced man nodded at his mentor. "Yes, I can't imagine that the dark kingdom is letting the free 'manpower' or feral pokegirls go to waste. I have no doubt they are capturing them and amassing an army of their own, even if it is just as batteries to support their powers. This isn't like some afternoon cartoon I watched as a child. I'll be damned if we're going to march on Beryl's base without a real fighting force to back us up."

The older man nodded back at him. It made perfect sense.. but would the league go along with it? Besides the logistics of running a private army were horrible. How would they support them. The league was strapped for credits as it was with all these dimensionally displaced monsters popping up and the bounties being paid out.

He decided to ask about those very points, "While I can see the merits of a standing army to fight this war, how will you fund it? You can't keep that many pokegirls in long term storage. They'll need food, equipment, sleeping arrangements, taming.."

Scott acquired a thoughtful look then answered the man. "We won't keep them in storage. We will have to become a standing army that is also a working one. We'll form a mercenary company of sorts.. some of our agents will go out and collect money off of bounties from menace pokegirls. Other agents will train full time. Some will work as craftspeople to create our weapons and gear.. We'll have to purchase tents.. or buy land and create housing."

"Taming.. I.. I am uncertain of taming requirements as we need this army to be completely cohesive and loyal. Too many tamers could cause it to splinter at the last moment due to personal desires." stated Scott as he considered the logistics just as Aaron had. There was a reason why standing league armies tended to be small and most threats were handled by tamers and tradesmen.

"You do know that will be incredibly expensive. You have a little money as I recall.. but nowhere near the amount necessary to raise an army.." cited Arshes Nei. She wasn't really nay-saying. The idea of an army to battle these monstrous idiots was definitely a better thought than simply running across them with in a random manner.

"I may be able to help a little with the league.. but if they grant money they will want a liaison to overlook expenditures." said Aaron with a hint of disgust on his face.

"I can offer about two million credits to the task out of pocket but there isn't much else I can offer without discussing the situation with my people." stated Pirotessa in a most welcome manner.

Scott beamed a happy smile at her and said, "Thank you P-chan.. That will help immensely."

Aaron brought his hand to his chin and nodded slowly. "That would be a reasonable start, but any real standing army will require a great deal more money than that. It would acquire land and immediate supplies, but we'd be bankrupt within a month."

The leader of the group looked over at Aaron then quirked an eyebrow. "We will have to build a warchest. With the money P-chan can front and.."

"I can roughly match her amount, give or take a hundred thousand." said Aaron.

Scott smiled brightly at him and said, "That would be incredibly helpful."

Minako spoke up then, "Um.. But where will we have this army..I mean I can't see us just being allowed to set up a force as large as we will want in the middle of town."

"We'll have to build our own fortress. I figure if we use plant, rock, ground, and steel type pokegirls we can form our new homes and barracks directly out of the environment.."

"I can't promise they will fight in the battles to come but I have a large collection of allies that can at least perform the task of making trees into homes.." stated Pirotessa thoughtfully. With so many elves and elven pokegirls it wouldn't be difficult to raise a small living city in short order.

"What about us? What do you want us to do?" asked Ami curiously. She'd been mostly quiet during all this as the new girl of the group. Kai Harn didn't really count yet.

"You girls will need to hone your Senshi powers.. or awaken them in your case and Rei's. We'll also be building a war chest by fighting menaces and taking on short term lucrative bounties." replied Scott decisively.

"So, we pretty much keep doing what we're doing?" asked Makoto.

"For now. We need money, experience, and more money. We also have to be at top form should be run across any dark kingdom plots. There are also the rainbow crystal carriers that we have to look for. Those are the people with the fragments of the ginzuishou inside them."

"Uhm.. won't the league have an issue with this..? I mean.. they don't even like letting ranches have a lot of pokegirls.. much less what we're planning." asked Ami curiously.

"I have the authority to allow him access to as many pokegirls as I see proper for the mission. I'll have to do some legal hoop jumping with the league heads but considering the threat we face and the fact that we're going to be footing the bill I doubt they'll complain too much as long as discipline is maintained... and we set up shop in frontier territory far away from any towns." replied Aaron.

"After we get set up, we'll have operatives in every town in this league. If we can set up a teleportation network we can rapidly deploy troops to any situation that occurs and try to build our strength while protecting the citizens." stated Scott as he continued running out his plans in his mind. Things seemed to form within his mind's eye and it was just what they would need to see themselves through this situation.

"This will take a great deal of planning. It probably won't be able to be done all in one day. I just hope the Negaverse waits long enough for us to set up shop." replied Artemis as his tail lashed. He sincerely liked the idea of backup.

"I don't see why we need to get any more people involved in moon kingdom business." said Luna snottily.

"Have you lost your little kitty mind?" asked Minako. They'd been nearly killed at every turn. A large back-up force would be incredibly useful.

Luna snorted. "Well, what's to keep them all from dropping like flies when the youma starts draining their energy?"

"Specialized equipment." replied Scott.

"Huh..? You can make stuff that will keep the Negaverse from draining them?" asked Makoto with some excitement. An army of people that could help out and not becoe instant casualties would be awesome.

"Not me personally, that's what our magical craftspokegirls will be for. As important as an army is, equipment is even more vital. I was thinking we'd acquire a few sorceresses, enchantresses, barrier maidens, etc. Weapon and armor making pokegirls will be vital as well. A few celestial pokegirls wouldn't hurt either since i'm sure their abilities would at least do some damage to a youma."

"Hey, i'm a celestial pokegirl!" exclaimed Serena helpfully.

Scott smiled at her. "Yes, you are."

Serena beamed happily despite herself. She was helping!

"Hmm. Let's lay down some ground work and see what needs to be done first." said Aaron with more than a little excitement. He was all for having back-up.

The others agreed with him and began drawing up plans. Soon the war would truly begin. This time, the enemy wouldn't have it nearly so easy.

----

An: Yep, seems I finished the next chapter. For those wondering what the fuck.. well.. get over it. lol.

The chapter might have been too talk heavy for some. Well, soon the weird battles will return, have no worries about that. Seems Scott has finally moved past the whole "hey i'm living in a wacked out sailor mooniverse" scenario and is at last working with the resources at hand to fight the threat in a sensical manner. Go figure.

As always read and review. 


	26. We Built This City

The warehouse erupted into a brilliant glare of burning red light for a moment as the blond Negaverse general finally finished the next phase of what might be his final project. He had spent the better part of two months now at this plan. It was the last chance he would be given. Beryl had made certain to inform him of that. It had been hell convincing her to wait on his penultimate plan. She wanted results and didn't give a damn who she broke to get them. Still, he'd gotten his time.

He gazed at his handiwork and nodded slowly with a cold cast gaze apparent in his eyes. In front of him stood six creatures that this world considered menaces. They had been powerful creatures, each of them deadly in their own right. However, once they were taken by the Negaverse and upgraded into super youma they became unstoppable killing machines.

Jedite gazed upon his creations and shuddered to himself slightly at the carnage he would soon unleash. Some things were even a bit too much for him.

Jedite silently stared at his minions and felt an uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach for the first time in quite a while. Somehow, in some way, he felt this might have been too much.

The feeling passed swiftly, of course, the hold the Negaverse had on him was not as strong as it used to be but in the end he was still just another lackey. He was but one tendril in the mass that is the evil alien intelligence Metallica.

...

Chapter 26: We Built This City...

...

...One and a half months earlier...

The sounds of construction, of progress, filled the air. For an entire week the recruits had been coming in. The land that the league had granted to Scott was free of any obligation save for taxes, surprisingly enough. It was just beyond the Nameless river in frontier territory. The idea of what amounted to a heavily fortified city in the wilderness across the river had been too good to pass up.

He had thought originally that convincing the league of the need for such a place would be hard. They had not only jumped at the chance, they had even allowed him free reign to use the land as he liked. There were no other towns within a hundred miles of the place, if you could call a small village with only a dozen families an actual town. The nearest major city, Amber Pines, was twice as far away.

However, this new boom town was on a major trade route. The river itself connected many small frontier settlements and a fortified city, more or less, in the center of the area would provide something akin to an able marketplace and a somewhat faster response time for emergencies.

Scott rested his hand on the former demon sword Soul Crusher and gazed out across the plain from atop a cliff. Behind him stood his closest friends in this world.

Below them on this wide plain of grass and dust was a tent city that had begun to crop up. Over eight hundred people had come to set up shop. It was originally slated to be only a fortress, but over the last week it had somehow turned into more. It had come to represent hope for many people.

In this land Scott's law was the only law. The league had granted him full autonomy for up to seventy-five miles from the exact center of his land. In fact, it wasn't even officially part of the league anymore due to the contract he had to sign. The league could not be directly connected to funding what amounted to a mercenary enterprise. The tax payers would never stand for it. Half the time they balked at the idea of having a standing league military, small as it was.

Who needed an army when you had tamers? That was the general consensus of the average man or woman. Unfortunately, it was the army, the knights, the adventurer's guild, and local law enforcement that handled most of their defense. The tamers seemed to only be interested in collecting badges and endorsements in the modern era.

All that defense cost quite a bit of money.

This land Scott had been granted was considered an autonomous protectorate. He had to pay taxes on the land itself, but otherwise the league had no say in what occurred there. It was no longer league property. The taxes were only for maintaining roads and in case an emergency happened and they had to help.

"Sir, I have a response from the Engineering guild." called out an ingenue as she walked up to the group. She was a strawberry blond with freckles. A true rarity for a breed known to have funky hair colors and flawless complexions.

Scott turned to her and nodded. "What did they say?"

"The sewage and water treatment systems will take a week to build if they can get enough rock and ground pokegirls for the project. However, with what they have now it will take about six months."

Scott winced. Six months was a long time to be using wooden versions of porta-johns. "We'll have to round up some more I guess. How many do they need?"

"forty-five at least, is what they say. Tunnelers, rock shapers, and diggers are especially necessary."

The man nodded. "Do they have a cost estimate yet?"

"Thirteen million credits if they can get it done in a week, two hundred ninety million for six months." quoted the ingenue off the top of her head.

"Thirteen million credits..?" exclaimed Serena in shock. She'd never even heard of so much money being spent on anything.

Scott nodded. It was actually rather cheap for the kind of project they were doing. Back home it would easily cost ten to twenty times that amount and would take a year or three.

"Seems a little low." replied Aaron, mirroring Scott's own thoughts. City building was expensive stuff and they hadn't even started on the expensive part. They were just getting the water and sewer systems in place. The actual town would come afterward.

The ingenue nodded to Aaron without deference to his humanity. Neither she, nor any, pokegirl had to automatically act as though humans were superior in this region. They were paid a fare wage and were treated with respect. They were still considered property if owned by a tamer or a company, but the idea of 'Free pokegirls' capable of being hired on by contract existed here. It had kept many idiots out of town because it meant that if they captured such a pokegirl they would have to sign a release contract or they would be hunted down.

"The engineers are working under the 'Free Labor Homesteading Act'. Many of the pokegirls are too. The amount necessary is for those who want to get paid."

Under this act, as dictated by Scott, anyone that signed up to work long hard hours for free on a project that benefited everyone would be granted free land, food, and housing. This included pokegirls without masters. A lot of people took him up on the offer. Not nearly as many as he would have liked of course.

A pokegirl that took advantage of this act was given 'Free' status as long as she worked on and completed her project. She was considered the same as a government pokegirl and as such was hands off unless she asked for otherwise.

Land for sale was directly at the decision of Scott at present and he was keeping the best available locations for the people that worked for free. He had already sold the right for others to homestead in certain areas. It had brought the warchest up to around eight million credits before he had started spending. The town coffers were nearly broke now, but things were moving right along.

Water types were busy irrigating fields while plant types, mainly elves coincidentally, tended to the crops. A hundred pokegirls out of the available one hundred eighty were city defense and they were sent out in regional patrols. These pokegirls and their tamers, when applicable, mostly got paid. It was the city builders that primarily took advantage of the free land and housing for work program.

At present the city was actually several small villages scattered around the area. The main village had about five hundred people squatting in it. Within a few miles there were a number of others out of the eight hundred or so hardy individuals that had moved here. Interestingly enough the tame pokegirls in the area did not outnumber the humans.

"Master, where are we going to come up with that many credits in a week?" asked Ryoko curiously. Catching that many rock and earth type pokegirls wouldn't be all that difficult. They were crawling all over the hills forty miles north of there. The money was a different story though.

"That, I'm not so certain of. We've made a steady time of catching pokegirls that are feral. I'm loathe to start selling them like cattle for several reasons. We need all the help we can get for one." admitted Scott.

"I heard a rumor that Amber Pines is looking for a hunter to take down the local bug type population. There are a lot of wasps and buzzbreasts in the area this time of year." said Pirotessa as a thought.

Scott nodded. "We should send a squad to handle that. It'd be good training, we could collect the bounty, pay the group, and add the rest to the coffers. I think we'll check into as many of these bounty calls as we can. We're a bit like a mercenary force, might as well get paid for it."

"Collecting bounties takes time. It's a good idea but we need a serious money maker now." cited Aaron. He was in charge of the internal militia. The standing army of patrolling militia that safeguarded the area. They didn't have enough available combatants to split the forces yet, but his other generals would have their own sections soon.

"I was thinking about setting up trading escort services between the leagues. Some of the Internal militia can be detailed as mission based escorts to help people interested in moving goods between the neighboring towns and between the leagues." replied Scott.

Aaron nodded and Pirotessa spoke up less than a moment later, "That's a start, but all of the neighboring towns are small and lack much in the way of funds."

Scott frowned softly. Unfortunately, it all seemed to come down to one thing. Capturing and selling pokegirls. The other methods of gaining money would take too long. There was barely enough in the treasury to make this week's payroll. Next week would see them come up negative and people might start to leave.

He looked out at the one building that was nearly erect and shook his head. The pokecenter would be vital to the town, in the resource shed nearby there were a dozen guards of the militia stationed. Within that shed were building resources, tools, and sixty-two captured feral pokegirls awaiting assignment. They hadn't been tamed yet. All of them were common or uncommon types, and none were combatants or builders.

Combat, tech, engineering, and crafting based pokegirls had already been drawn from their ranks. All that was left were the most common pokegirls in the area with no special skills.

The man gazed down at the shed while his companions and the curious ingenue looked on. Finally, after a soul wrenching moment the man stood straight and took a deep breath. Then with a firm but sad voice the man spoke the hardest words he had ever allowed through his lips. "Contact the people in the city..and then the league. ..We have pokegirls to sell for standard prices."

Several of the girls looked like they wanted to say something, most likely it would have been placating or an attempt to make him feel better. It wouldn't have mattered. In his mind the man had just sold the integrity of his new kingdom in the making along with the lives and freedom of people that he felt deserved better.

The worst part was that even if he sold them all, it would barely make a dent in the debt that was amassing.

...

Inside a tent deep in the heart of the new city a small family was eating breakfast. It was a rather warm and natural scene despite the hustle and bustle outside. The conversation was slowly growing heated, however.

"Look, no daughter o' mine is going to be a tamer. We're tradefolk. My father, his father, HIS great grandfather, we're all tradefolk..." explained the man for the fifth time that morning.

"Well, Dah c'mon.. Ya know I don't wanna be a tamer. I wanna be a KNIGHT." expressed the skinny teenaged girl with her spoon rising and swinging like a sword.

"There ain't but one female knight I ever heard of and her name wern't Amalie Chaldess. It certainly wern't." explained the man patiently as he sipped on his juice. The living quarters weren't all that great but the food was plentiful and free if ya worked for it. He rather liked the concept. It wouldn't last of course but for now hard work really did mean a roof and good food. There was something right about that in his mind.

"Oh, dah.. I can be the second one! C'mon, the master says anyone can join the militia." excitedly cited Amalie.

"The master is it? He seems a likely sort.. but c'mon girl. You're all skin and bones. Him and his ilk can fight alongside pokegirls. You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paperbag with a knife."

Amalie frowned at her father as a few stray whisps of hair fell forward across her face to further frustrate her. "Well, they train ya good! I could help protect everyone!"

"No. Now.. you'll pick a respectable trade and like it!" snapped the man irritably.

The girl frowned at him in annoyance then the light of realization dawned in her eyes. "Ya know dah..hunters is tradesmen.."

The man quirked a bushy eyebrow and nodded slowly. "True..and a respectable trade it is."

"Well.. if it's so respectable how come I couldn't join the militia?"

"Ain't no money in it girl. A hunter keeps the ferals down the way a tamer SHOULD, but they make a lot more money off of sellin the ferals they catch. Its cuz they catch so many compared to a tamer that just strolls by and catches ferals if he feels like it."

"Money. money.. always money.. I swear you'd marry your credits if ya could dah."

"I'd be a widower eventually.. after my bride went and spent herself." snarked her father.

"Well, there's hunters in the adventurer's guild.." continued Amalie without further dignification of his remark.

"Yeah.. i've heard it said.." admitted her father as he stirred his morning stew. He preferred a heartier breakfast than vegetable stew usually, but it was free and very good.

"Well, adventurer guild members are tradesmen of a sort.. and hunters are a trade..so... I should be able to join the guild and be a hunter right?"

"Sounds about right." admitted the man as he took a sip of his soup. A pleasant smile crossed his features for a moment. He knew what his daughter was getting at. He was just glad she had given up on being part of the militia.

"So.. I can join? I can join as a hunter?" she asked excitedly.

"It's a respectable trade. We're tradefolk." replied the man with a shrug.

"Really! Thank you Dah!" exclaimed the girl excitedly before throwing her arms around him in excitement.

"Bah! Ya made me spill my soup!" grumped the man loudly and without conviction. His daughter would be taking up a respectable trade after all.

"Oh hang your soup old man! I'm happy!" exclaimed the girl with a smirk.

"Hang my soup she says.. what kind of talk is that for ya." mumbled the man. It had been really good soup too.

...

A few days had passed and the sale of the pokegirls had gone off without a hitch. Eight rock and earth type pokegirls had been found and the project looked like it would continue as planned. He would owe money with interest to the various workers in the city, for a while, but he had enough to continue purchasing resources for the town.

The bounty hunter teams had been sent out in squads and were doing well. The escort teams were mostly employed as well. He was still several million credits short of just paying for the construction of the sewage and water systems. That was beside the other monetary needs he had.

People and pokegirls continued to trickle in, in small amounts. They would take a new census at the end of the month.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown, huh?" asked Arshes as she came up to him. They hadn't really talked in a few days and it caused him to pause and take in the sight of her. For some reason, since the day he and Rei had nearly been killed on the bus, she had been nicer to him.

"Light are the pockets of the man who would be king." admitted Scott.

This isn't what he had envisioned. He had initially planned on a simple fortress and outpost. It was supposed to be a few tradesmen and a lot of pokegirls. Without a census it was estimated that at least thirty more people had trickled in, in the last few days.

"Only because he doesn't believe in slave labor." remarked the half dark elf.

Scott nodded slowly. He knew enough about her character and personality after the time they'd spent together to realize she wasn't suggesting this as a bad thing.

"How can I claim to be building something to help protect this world if I have to enslave its people to create it." stated the man thoughtfully. It still bothered him that he had sold those pokegirls. At least when he sold them to Pirotessa he knew they were going somewhere decent. Some of them stayed in the new town. Most of them had been sold to the league. They would probably never know the freedom they had been denied by that action.

Arshes nodded to him lightly. "You know all about the goals of the four divine kings..don't you?"

"Four div.. oh you and your friends.. the others that had been disciples of Dark Schneider." admitted Scott.

When she nodded he continued, "Yeah. You, and Kallsu mostly, believed in the cause as I recall. A sorcerer kingdom built on the rule of law, a utopia where there was no more war and only iron hard justice reigned?"

"That's a simplistic version, but yes. I've been touring your kingdom.." stated the thunder empress.

"What did you see?"

She shrugged. "It's a bunch of tents and good ideas. There's not much to see yet. The interesting part is that everyone seems happy. They're working their fingers to the bone to build your city, but they're happy."

"That's because it's not really my city anymore. It belongs to them as much as it does me." replied Scott before turning to gaze into the eyes of the half dark elven sorceress.

"So, it's a democracy now?" she asked with a smirk.

"Hell no. That's the last thing we need right now. The only reason anything at all is getting done is because there are no endless committee meetings."

Arshes Nei snickered a little but didn't speak again for a moment. She did, however, glance over at the plans on the desk of his tent. "That the castle?"

Scott nodded. "I consider it a command fortress and city bunker, but yes."

"What, no moat?" inquired the military general.

"A moat is pointless in this day and age. It might slow down an army of demi-humans from your homeland but between flying type pokegirls and one's that can simply freeze water it is pointless. With Dark Kingdom youma it's even worse. We'll have to focus on maze like walls with killing fields as well as mystical wards."

"I still think you need a moat." she sniped at him.

Scott shrugged and said, "If you think it's so vital we can divert a portion of the river around it."

"Heh.. I win." replied the half dark elven sword master. She tossed her head imperiously and Scott shook his head. Women. No matter their species they always liked to get their way.

The man frowned a little as he ran the numbers for his various projects again. He had to get these people full time shelter soon. The elves were already working on some of his ideas, but not everyone would want to live in a tree house. His thoughts weren't centered on childhood tree forts but actual trees reshaped to work like houses that were formed of wood that had been mystically hardened until they were harder than steel all the way through.

The tree houses were going to take months, even with magical aid, to fully grow also. The new residents could move in, in a few weeks but their homes would not be complete till near the end of the year.

"So, what's its name?"

"Hmm?" asked Scott as he was brought out of his reverie.

"The name of the castle. Every fortress needs a name."

"Ah.. since it's going to be formed directly out of the land itself through rock and metal shaping.. I decided I'd call it castle Hard Rock."

She quirked her eye and allowed her lips to purse with amusement. How appropriately named the castle would be.

Serena flew down and landed clumsily in front of her friends. She'd been ordered to fly for at least an hour a day to get her skills up to par in regards to aerial combat. As an angel pokegirl she had quite an array of abilities to fight evil with. Flying was one of her greatest assets and she needed to become more skilled at it.

"So, done for the day?" asked Minako as she looked over her supernaturally sharp chain weapon. It never broke, chipped, or dulled but she still inspected it daily just to be sure.

"Yeah, but that's not why I came down." admitted Serena.

"Why, what's going on?"

"Nothing major, I just gotta go tell Scott about the big group of people moving along the trail he just had cut." admitted the celestial pokegirl.

"What, do they look like they're gonna cause trouble?" asked Ryoko as she stopped working on one of her sword forms long enough to join in on the conversation. Any armed force was a threat to her lord and master. It was a samurai girl's duty to defend her master to the last!

"Nah, it looked like about twenty vehicles loaded down with supplies and stuff. There were a few more groups behind them but it was mostly people walking. A lot of people. I still need to go tell Scott and Aaron." replied Serena before stepping toward the command tent.

"Scott's out surveying the cliff along with a few members of the engineering guild. Aaron's running drills with some of the militia." cited Minako as she stood up from the large rock she had been sitting on.

"I.." began Serena. She wasn't sure who to tell first. Telling Scott made sense, but Aaron would need to know quickly too so he could mobilize the militia in case there was an issue.

"You can fly, so maybe you should go tell Scott. I know where Aaron is so I'll go tell him." stated Minako simply before nodding. It sounded like a good solid plan.

Serena blinked. That did make a certain amount of sense. "Right!"

"I'll go with you." stated Ryoko to Minako. If there was trouble brewing she would need to be there to help stop it.

"Alright..." said Minako before turning to the guards posted outside the tent. "You four, make sure no one gets in except for master or one of the generals."

"Yes, Ma'am!" called out a catgirl smartly before rendering a salute. It wasn't a particularly good salute but it was still a solid effort.

Minako returned the salute and nodded toward Ryoko and then Serena. "Let's get to it."

As they headed off in their differing directions a roadway full of people continued to move toward the slowly growing city.

"No no, put the medical supplies here and the equipment over there. We're limited on space!" called out a nursejoy as she directed the offloading of both human and pokegirl medicine. The pokecenter was going to double as a human hospital for the time being, and possibly even in the future if it seemed like a good fit. Saeko was busy filling out forms while her subordinates continued to do their work.

She had wanted to be near her daughter and this was definitely a place that would need a skilled doctor. There was a constant stream of individuals coming in for medical issues. Strained muscles, lacerations, even a half drowned Galem had been through the emergency room doors in recent days.

Ami came walking in with a handcart loaded down with boxes. She was taking time off of her studies to help unload the medical supplies that had just been air lifted in. They needed them desperately but they had also cost a pretty penny.

"How much more?" asked the blue haired woman to her daughter of similar hair shade.

"Not nearly enough. We've already begun getting random bouts of influenza despite the season. All these people from different places. The town is a hot bed of viral activity." admitted Ami as she finished wheeling a few hundred canisters of p-med over to their section.

"Scott said he had a few enchantresses working on creating healing potions and the like. Maybe that will pan out." said Saeko with a dismissive gesture. There was just so much to do.

"Maybe." replied Ami before turning her cart around and heading back for another load. She passed Rei along the way and gave her a nervous smile before continuing on. The cat girl shrine maiden had opted to help with the center as well.

"So, can it be done?" asked Pirotessa as she and Deedlit went over the last of the plans for the first section of the housing development block. They were in charge of making certain the 'tree houses' were developed and took root.

"I think so. They won't be as strong initially though. It will still take time for them to grow to their full durability." admitted Deedlit as she looked over at a ten foot tall sapling that three of the elven pokegirls in their group continued to chant and sing to the would-be house.

Pirotessa nodded before replying back in kind. "It can't be helped. These people need homes and Scott doesn't want to simply run around killing trees to make them.

"I'm not complaining. I like the idea of a tree city. I was just surprised he chose it on his own."

"Why is that?"

Deedlit shrugged. "How many humans do you know that would have cared about keeping the woodlands intact?

"He's not like most. I'll admit that." quietly replied Pirotessa.

Deedlit's knowing gaze caused the dark elf to clear her throat lightly and turn away. Supposedly she was inspecting yet another tree. As far as the eye could see there were saplings surrounded by a trio of elven pokegirls compelling them to grow. Each tree was meant to grow in a unique manner based on the individual or family that would be moving into them.

...

...two weeks later.. the city takes shape...

"Wow, what a pile of crap." said Makoto before she caught her statement and had the good decency to blush. She had been referring to the rubble that would soon begin to take shape as the fortress where Scott, the girls, and the elite guard would reside. The same fortress that would act as an emergency bunker for the local populace. The entire cliff was being hollowed out strategically now that the primary portions of the water and sewer systems for the core of the city were finally complete.

Scott nodded to her with a smirk. "Yeah, it is. Eventually it'll be a fortress complete with modern armaments and amenities. Right now its a bunch of rocks and tunneled warrens."

"Hmm..it'll probably be nice.." admitted the amazonian pokegirl. Privately she still wondered if the overgrown pile of rubble she was seeing could ever be anything but a pile of crap.

"Sir, the eastern sector patrol has discovered the camp of those bandits that had been attacking travelers." stated a valkyrie after saluting Aaron. Her name was Faine and she was the commander of her free pokegirl company.

"Any losses?" asked the older man as he took stock of one of his more capable captains. Faine had shown herself to be quite promising. She was currently being considered for the elite guard even if she didn't know about it.

"Two personnel are being attended to at the pokecenter. No fatalities."

"The mission went well then?" inquired Aaron.

"Yes, sir. Eight human combatants and their pokegirls were apprehended along with all of their equipment. There were no signs of any escapees though we are still on alert for such."

"Excellent work commander Faine. On behalf of the master of this city I congratulate you and your team." replied Aaron with a smile.

"All in a day's work sir." stated the valkyrie with a perfect cliche for the moment.

"So, you see Sir if you are willing to allow us a chance we can bring in a great deal of money for your town." stated the front man for the fighting peekaboos. They were a low end start up wreck ball team that couldn't find a city that would take them. All the major ones already had an official team, and none of the other towns had a population that could support such an endeavor. With at two thousand people in this area already, and more coming in by the day, it was rapidly moving into reasonable town status. The team owner wanted to take the risk and sink his money into this place since it might be his last chance to enter into the professional circuit instead of being stuck in the minor leagues.

Scott considered the proposal. A wreck ball stadium would have to be built. It would only be a grassy area with a few seats around it at first but it could really be useful. With the team granting twenty-five percent of any money won in tournaments to the town in the way of taxes it could help a great deal if they proved to be quality players. It would also provide a distraction for the masses that was desperately needed. The constant long hard hours were taking there toll on everyone.

"We can fit you in. You'll need to be a short distance outside of town though. We need the surrounding area for farming and defensive positions."

"Are you ser... yes! I mean.. yes. We'll gladly set up shop outside of town. Where do we pay for land rights?"

"Go out of this tent and head to your right until you reach a tent with a large white sign out front that says register of deeds. They'll take care of you after I sign off on this."

"Thank you sir. You don't know what this chance means for us. We thought we'd never get our team out of the minor leagues."

Scott nodded. Even if the team ended up being a complete bunch of losers they would at least be entertaining.

They finished there business and parted ways then. After the man left another individual was announced and Scott received the fifth supplicant of the day. It seemed many people had ideas for the town and they wanted to speak to him.

This particular supplicant was a scrawny young girl that seemed to be trying her best to hide her nervousness.

"S-ir.." squeaked the girl before her eyes went wide and she snapped to a salute. She was awkward and obviously was outside of her element in this setting.

Scott stared at her for a moment as he tried to figure out who she was. Shortly the information trickled through his mind and he recalled a young girl as being responsible for discovering that there were bandits operating to the east. Several travelers had been waylaid and killed and many more might have if she hadn't discovered them during one of her hunting trips.

"Ms. Chaldess?" asked Scott politely.

The skinny girl's eyes widened in shock and she nodded rapidly. "Sir! Yes.. yes sir!"

The man couldn't help but smile at her nervousness. For all the life of him he wondered if he hadn't looked like that when he first joined the army. The strange thing was that she wasn't even in the militia.

"I hear you are responsible for alerting us about some bandits on the eastern road." replied Scott lightly.

The girl croaked a little then blinked and took a deep breath before nodding quietly. It was obvious that she was almost painfully shy.

"You've been awarded a bounty of fifty-thousand credits for the information but you asked to see me instead of receiving it. What's so important that you'd willing give up money. Newly started hunters need cash almost desperately." stated Scott with a thoughtful tone. Now that he knew who she was he was actively curious about what she wanted. Few people gave up the equivalent of a few hundred bucks just to get a meeting with someone.

"Yes, yes sir. I.." began the girl before she found herself unable to speak. Her nerves were obviously getting to her.

Scott nodded and gestured toward his command table. It was actually a shaped bit of rock with padded chairs around it.

Amalie looked confused for a moment before Scott spoke up and told her he wanted her to sit down. She nodded slowly and a blush rose to her cheeks before the girl moved to her seat. Scott took up a spot opposite of her and smiled.

There was a brief moment of silence then Scott asked, "So what did you wish to speak about Ms. Chaldess?"

She swallowed and then took a deep breath again before blurting, "Iwannabeaknight!"

Scott tried to decipher what she said but he ended up asking her to slow down a repeat herself.

"Sir, I.. I.. I want to be a knight.." she managed to force herself to say.

The man was at a loss for what to say. He didn't have the authority to make her a knight of the league. He said as much but she shook her head and replied, "I didn't mean.. I.. I wanted to know how it's done.. What I had to do to become one.."

Scott considered that for a moment. Then he replied honestly. "I'm not really sure myself. I'm somewhat of a special case. Aaron is the guildmaster of Oldtowne and a knight. He could probably tell you a great deal more about the requirements to becoming one."

"Aaron.. do you mean general Aaron sir?" asked Amalie. She'd heard all kinds of things about him. He was older than time and a better swordsman than anyone alive. This was quite an accomplishment for a human actually. The strangest thing was that depending on who you asked some swore he was older than the revenge war. That had to be a tall tale though.

"Yes, he was my mentor in the knights.. and honestly he probably still is I don't even know if my trials are finished yet. I really should ask about that." stated Scott thoughtfully.

Amalie nodded as her anxiety slowly ebbed. The master of the city was talking to her like he was a normal person and she wasn't just some civilian.

The conversation continued for a moment along the same lines then slowly turned toward Scott's plans for the city compared to his original purpose.

"Wait... this city was supposed to help save the world?" asked Amalie wide eyed.

"It was only supposed to be a fortress with a training area. A self contained place to act as a base for readying troops. Things changed though.

The girl widened her eyes even further, almost to the point of having them bug out. She was living in a city that was meant to house people that protect the world. It really brought a lot of her own desires into perspective.

They continued to chat for a while before Minako poked her head in and interrupted them by saying the next appointment had been waiting for fifteen minutes. This caused the two conversationalists to say their good byes. Before she left Scott gave Amalie an official note to give to Aaron. It was a simple missive which stated that she needed to speak with him about a personal matter and his signature to make it official.

...

"Things seem to be coming along." said the white moon cat as he watched the hustle and bustle of the growing city. He and Luna hadn't really had much to do during this so they had become rather interested in wandering around.

"It's a bunch of foolishness if you ask me." replied the cat snootily.  
She thought that Moon Kingdom business should remain as such.

"Why's that?" asked Artemis as though he didn't already know the answer.

The black cat whisked her tail and took on a superior attitude. "All these people are in the way! The girls should be training, not running around building a city!"

Artemis bobbed his head. "They are training though. They spend at least a few hours a day working on their skills. I don't see a problem with having allies that can be useful."

"Useful? They can't even stand up and fight when the dark kingdom is around!" sniped Luna.

"Neither could the armies of the Earth and Moon during those final battles. Without them, though, we would have lost much sooner." remarked Artemis.

"Well you know, Master could always summon more of my brethren to this world." stated the tiger suddenly.

Luna jumped straight into the air as she turned, expecting to see a giant tiger. To her surprise she saw a white winged house cat with black stripes.

"What happened to you?" asked Artemis. It seemed to be an appropriate question. The tiger had been much larger previously.

The mini-tiger shrugged. "There isn't as much mana in this world. It's easier to maintain this form for me. Otherwise i'd have to go hunting."

"What's wrong with hunting? There aren't many large animals in the world anymore, but there are those kattle things. Some roam free."

"Animals don't have enough spiritual energy. There aren't enough mystically endowed creatures in this world. If I went hunting there are only two kinds of meat that would sustain me." admitted the tiger with a kitty version of a calculated expression.

"Wait.. you mean?" asked Luna with a shudder in her voice.

The mini-tiger nodded. "I could return to my original home and sustain my strength easily. Master needs me. I stay because of this."

"Will you be able to transform back?" asked Artemis.

The tiger nodded then looked toward the busy city and flapped his wings. "Yes, but every time I do I will need an energy transfusion from master."

"Why do you keep calling him master?" asked Luna curiously. The tiger she remembered could have probably killed every single one of them with little trouble. That thing radiated power like a a halogen light lit up a room.

The tiger looked at her curiously. "Gods are to be respected. I am surprised he tolerates your insubordination."

"Gods?" asked Luna incredulously. She knew the creature was a little odd, but she didn't know he was out of his mind. "What in the world would make you think HE is a god? He's not even the strongest fighter in the group."

The tiger looked at her for a moment then slowly closed his eyes. A few silent seconds passed before it spoke. "How creatures of this realm can delude themselves so fully is beyond me. I am a demon tiger of the steel fang mountains. The nature of the master is without dispute. I would know his kind were I to have been struck blind, rendered deaf, and lost the ability to smell. I would not be able to serve him otherwise. The master's power is the only reason I can exist in this world at all."

The tiger turned and gestured toward the humans and pokegirls before speaking again. "If one such as these had tried to summon me they may have had the inner strength to do so. However, I would have devoured their souls in the process. They are mortal creatures. Their power is limited."

"So.. wait.. you really do think Scott is some kind of god?" asked Artemis with a growing sense of uncertainty. There was a lot of strangeness about the man but he didn't know about any apparent divinity.

"Yeah right, he can't be a god. He's too weak!" snarked Luna. She considered this entire conversation to be nothing but utter foolishness.

The demon beast glanced at her with amber eyes then turned away to watch the people working hard to please his master. He would allow the pitiful small fanged she-cat her delusions. There was no point in arguing with a lesser species after all. He did reconsider his thoughts about her species a moment later, however. The small white did at least seem reasonably intelligent for such a weak effeminate sub-species.

...

Scott fired off another of his black metal attacks and watched it slam into the slowly cracking slab of ancient concrete. This abandoned tumbled down city had proven to be an excellent training ground. Most of the metal had rusted completely through, but the concrete slabs were still found in large sections. A lot of the material was being slowly cannibalized for city construction, but before that it was perfect for training.

He spent a moment focusing on his power. He focused on his connection to the metal, as he called it. Ever since he gained the patronage of Dio he found that he could focus on a song that the heavy metal idol had performed with interesting results.

The three powers he had gained from Dio had taken a while to manifest. He could summon demon tigers.. well at least one. He had thought the songs he had been granted powers with were the other two gifts. He had been wrong. They were part of one gift. The gift of knowledge.

His gifts had been a sort of right of passage or acceptance. He wasn't sure what to call them. He thought of them as gifts of strength, wisdom, and skill.

Strength came in the form of a large power increase. It had always been within him as it felt no different than before. However, it was like someone had changed out some rusted water pipes for clean ones. His power flowed with much greater fluidity and speed now.

Wisdom came in the form of understanding. He now knew a great deal more about how to shape his inner spirit into physical reality. He understand more of why his power seemed to use heavy metal and rock music as a conduit. It made it easier to train and actually develop his powers now.

Skill came in the form of the special magic and powers he had been granted via fiat. He had gained the tiger summoning spell as well as the defensive power. Furthermore, due to the gifts of strength and wisdom as well, his skill had increased. He knew now that his spells had many facets and levels of technique that he could use. New powers would be cool, but he wanted to completely master what he already had first.

The only exception to that mindset was his desire to discover some sort of healing power. He knew that he could heal theoretically. He just wasn't certain how yet. It would be based on a song that resonated with that intent. So far, that song eluded him though.

Scott took a deep breath and began to focus his energies again. He allowed his mental playlist, the song he was going to use as a conduit, to rotate into his mind. The song he chose was one again, Black Metal, by Venom.

This time when he felt the words and the mystic energy of the music burning inside him. He focused on the necessary connecting words in the song. The words that linked his will with his power before releasing into the world around him.

He felt his power growing and building in time to his inner rhythm. The tempo of the music began to rise. Then at the appropriate moment he thrust both hands forward and cried aloud, "Black Metal!"

Instead of his generic wedge of dark energy he was previously able to use he unleashed twin waves of black magical energy that began twisting around each other like a rope. The front edge of the wave began to vaguely resemble a serpentine head for the briefest of moments. However, just prior to slamming into the concrete slab it began to lose cohesion and the energy ropes began to fray apart.

Scott sighed softly to himself but then smiled lightly. He needed to train more but his powers were coming along. He could already force his black metal attack to maintain itself for half again its previous maximum distance. Its actual damage level attack wise wasn't much stronger at full power than before but it would last longer and its debilitating draining effects had doubled.

He had noticed that about all of his spells and abilities. They had a much greater potential for status effects than damage.

He took a moment to focus on his inner spirit, the calm center from which the metal spoke to him. The music had grown dimmer, subtler. He had used a lot of his power today in practice. It was getting harder to feel the noise, so to speak.

"One more time.. then I'll work on the physical stuff some.." murmured Scott.

Makoto and Arshes Nei watched from their position on a former office building than had fallen sideways. The level of progress Scott had made was nothing less than awe-inspiring.

"How.. can he do that.." muttered Arshes Nei in continuing shock. She knew wizards that were nearly a hundred years old that couldn't produced powers like that. Yet, Scott had been practicing less than a year. She remembered that he had studied some of the mystic arts at home but that sounded like ritual and religion.. priest stuff. This was definitely sorcery.

Makoto grinned and remarked Glibly, "Because he's just that cool!"

Arshes groaned at her then turned back to Scott. He was still very rough in his skills. With a little more refinement though, he would be truly dangerous as an enemy.

'What the hell are you?' asked the half dark elf as she watched him perform feats of destructive magic that should have been beyond him for decades yet.

...

"So, the road has finally been cleared and made ready for travel?" asked Aaron to one of the lieutenants in the army engineering corps. Their group had been responsible for clearing away the debris from the old highly that ran between the area and the league. It had been littered with rusted out vehicles and badly damaged asphalt.

The Galem nodded at him and replied, "Yes Sir. One hundred, twenty seven pokegirls were captured in the process. The road is ready for use as a main transportation route just as it was in pre-sukebe times. Though we didn't use asphalt."

Aaron nodded. They didn't have the heavy construction equipment necessary for that. The rock and ground types could manipulate stone and dirt, but they can't do much with asphalt. "So, you used stone slabs?"

The galem pondered a moment and then nodded, "You could say that. A bunch of us worked on shifting the ground at the elemental level. It took a lot of effort but we made the road seem to have always been one solid stone road."

"With proper maintenance it should last a very long time then." replied Aaron thoughtfully. "Was there any salvage work noting among the scrap?"

"No, most of the metal was too rusted. There were a few valuables such as gems and pre-sukebe coinage. Lord Scott had requested that we collect all of that sort of thing we found."

"Yes, it'll be sold off to private collectors and similar investors to help fund the town. Your group will receive their portion of it as well."

The galem smiled. The army corps of engineers was looking more and more like her kind of thing all the time.

...

Serena jumped to the side and wobbled slightly as she tried her best to avoid Minako's whip attack. The slicer and the angel pokegirl had been training for about an hour now and both were starting to tire. They were in a terrible state of undress as they had ripped each others training clothes apart in the practice session. This had become quite common of late when the girls practiced.

Each session had to give them the best work out possible. They had to continually increase their abilities as much as they could. There had been no attacks recently by the Negaverse recently, but they felt that something big was coming. Even if they never attacked again there was still the possibility of their main base at the north pole.

The angel pokegirl felt a lash against her thigh as she tried to avoid the long reach of Minako's weapon. The slicer pokegirl was getting very good with her chain weapon. Despite Serena's superior agility, even if she was quite clumsy for reasons that boggled the mind, she didn't manage to avoid that many of her fellow team mate's attacks.

Minako kept on the offensive constantly. If she didn't Serena would take to the air and fly beyond the reach of her weapon. Then she would be on the defensive as she tried to avoid her chakram or occasional psi-blade attacks.

The angel fell over as her foot slid on a rock and for the third time that day she narrowly avoided an attack that would have finished her training. Minako frowned at her in consternation. The girl had an insane level of dumb luck when it came to avoiding damage.

Serena willed widened her eyes in shock as the blade end of the chain whip zhwipped past her face. The entire moment moved in slow motion as she watched the chain crawl past her face despite its lightning speed in reality.

The split-second passed and the angel pokegirl felt her energy rising. Normally she didn't like to fight. That attack had been so close though.. Serena thrust her hands toward Minako as her whip started swinging back toward her the slicer.

A mana bolt of celestial mystic energy flew out from between the angel pokegirl's hands and rocketed across the short distance between the two.

Minako's eyes barely had time to widen as she found herself hurtling backward with the wind driven out of her chest. As she hit the ground white light with radiant white light laced with silver lightning crackled around the impact point on her chest. After a few stunned seconds Makoto ran over and checked on the fallen slicer. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at Serena. "Uhm.. wow.. she's out cold.."

Serena blinked.

She won? Her brief sensation of pride was over-ruled by her realization that she had knocked her team mate out. "Minako!" she cried before running over to her fallen friend.

...

The work shop was well lit but still seemed to have a sense of shrouded mystery about it. What else would be expected from the center of the town's mystical defense corps.

"So you see, the wards are in place around the castle and we are beginning the next phase of the town defense." stated Alanera to Aaron and Arshes Nei. Pirotessa was currently going over a spreadsheet in her office next door and would be joining them again shortly.

Arshes nodded at her then glanced over at Kai Harn. "Have you had any luck in finding mounts for yourself and the others?"

Kai shook her head and replied to her mistress, "No, these pokegirls are sturdy enough but well.."

"Not used to riding mounts that can talk and argue?" asked the thunder empress. She had found out that pokegirls weren't the best mount choice for herself a long while back. She had acquired the services of one early on, but when she learned that the method of keeping them tame would not work for her she had ended up trading the girl off for some coin and supplies. Apparently the half of her that was human wasn't the half that could keep a pokegirl tame.

"It takes getting used to.. yes. There are interesting creatures in the woods north of here that my squad is looking into though."

Alanera glanced over at Aaron and gestured toward the designs for magical armor and clothing she had been working on with the enchantresses and other magic type pokegirls in her care. They were incredibly talented creatures. Some of them were able to do in only twenty years of life what some of her colleagues would not have even have attempted at five or six hundred.

"Hmm.. these look very promising and I can see why they would be a top priority, but there are no counter-magic armor pieces here? We need the anti-drain and anti-dark magic equipment first and foremost." admitted Aaron while Arshes and Kai continued to discuss the creatures in the woods.

"We are having difficulty crafting wearable items strong enough to be of use in that regard. The castle walls can sustain an anti-assault field and draining attack resistance high enough to defeat the Negaverse's energy siphoning ability. Their assault strength is too high to completely negate it with any item we can create readily."

"So, our troops will continue to be easy targets then?"

Alanera shook her head. "We can't completely defeat their life force draining effect but there are items we can easily craft that will slow the process and allow a bit of resistance. It might grant our forces a few more moments to work or to cast anti-draining spells. That will most assuredly be our best method of defeating their draining attacks."

The older gentleman nodded at what the drow elf reported. Normal energy draining attacks could be defeated easily enough. Unfortunately, even powerful dark type pokegirls were not immune to the effect. At present only Scott or the Sailor Senshi in their official Silver Millennium guises could withstand the draining effect. He and Arshes were able to resist it for various reasons but even they would falter in time.

Aaron considered her information for a moment then inquired, "When will we have enough of them made to begin outfitting the elite guard?"

The elite guard were the handpicked Anti-Negaverse forces they were training. They would get the best equipment as they counted as the shock troops and front line assault fighters in the coming battles.

"We'll have thirty bracers ready by the end of the week. If we had a few more magic type pokegirls the work would go much faster."

Aaron considered her words. The current elite guard numbered a little over a hundred members. They had to be completely outfitted with the best equipment they could buy or make within as little an amount of time as possible. Outside of the bracers there were still weapons systems, armor, and restorative items to deal with. Outfitting even a small army was proving to be quite expensive and time consuming.

...

...Six weeks after the founding of the new as yet nameless frontier city...

Jedite gazed out at the fallen city and considered his plans. The youma he was crafting back at his current lair were coming along nicely. It was time to move his plans along and this place seemed to do nicely. It had that ominous appearance and tumbled down sprawl that would work very well for his new pets.

He turned to continue surveying the location where his last chance would take place. Queen Beryl had been a bitch on wheels.. as they say, when it came to convincing her of allowing him one final chance. This fallen city and the neighboring airport seemed to provide the exact setting he desired.

He had used his powers to locate the 'knight' that had thwarted his plans on occasion and found that he had managed to begin drawing together forces of his own. There was a begrudging level of respect in the dark kingdom general for this nuisance now. It was laughable that the foolish human thought he could actually fight back against the negaverse. Yet, somehow Jedite could not force himself to laugh. Things were far too serious for him right now.

His musing was cut short a moment later when an arcing beam of energy lanced off of his energy barrier. He staggered under the surprisingly potent assault before turning in annoyance to view the image of the foolish creature that would dare to attack him.

He took in the sight of one of this world's pokegirls and quirked a well sculpted eyebrow. The creature attacking him seemed to be some sort of human and bird hybrid. From the look of her she was part hawk, perhaps falcon.

The pokegirl screeched at him in outrage and decided to dive toward him directly. Her speed and instinctual angle of descent were incredible for a mortal creature. However, the Negaverse general was not particularly impressed. The foolish chicken girl, or whatever, was in possession of a ranged attack that was powerful enough to actually cause his barrier to shudder slightly yet she was diving headlong toward him.

"Foolish.." he muttered with a sigh before raising his hand to the swiftly diving creature. As she neared him he simply measured the distance and raised his hand. The girl slammed head first into a field of raw telekinetic force that stopped her cold in the manner of a brick wall. The pokegirl squawked out in sickening agony as she slid liquidly down the wall of force for a brief moment then fell to the ground in a loud bloody heap. Several of her bones were severely broken and blood flowed freely from her mouth and nose.

As the negaverse general took in the sight of the dying pokegirl he considered his plans. He turned away from her as she squawked her last and grew terribly still. There was work to be done and no chicken girl or what have you would stop him from taking both his revenge, and his rightful place as master of this world... just underneath Beryl and the alien intelligence from the sun.. Queen Metallica.. of course.

...

Scott gazed out across the expanse of the nameless river and considered the last two months. His city had grown greatly in such a short time. It had grown impossibly fast by the standards of his homeworld. In truth, it was nowhere near even minimal completion but some of the populace had moved out of their tents and into homes.

The primary irrigation, water works, and sewage treatment facilities had been built. The walls were coming up nicely. The castle was largely done. He even had a hundred hand-picked professional soldiers in his elite guard. A scant few were blood-gifted humans. Those mostly had dark type ancestry which allowed them some minor resistance to draining attacks. Even the full blooded pokegirls weren't completely immune to the dark kingdom's assaults. Still, it meant his troops wouldn't drop like flies the moment a super youma showed its face.

His elite guard was separated into mobile squads. There were eight of his ten person combat groups. There were twenty officers and support personnel. Two combat groups to a platoon, five dedicated officers and support personnel added to that. He had four platoons total. Surprisingly, it worked out.

He intended to actively upgrade their numbers soon. He wanted to try and have enough of his groups so that an entire platoon could be stationed in every major city in the league. The dark kingdom seemed to want to attack there the most often.

The only problem with outfitting these groups was the cost of their upkeep. Weapons, provisions, sleeping quarters, pay.. soon to be combat pay, all played a role. These platoons often sent squads out to handle menaces and collect bounties across the continuent. However, this did not completely cover costs.

He and his immediate group were the command hub. They acted as a headquarters unit. Arshes Nei was placed in charge of training the elite guard unit. She kept Kai Harn on as a personal lieutenant since she knew she could count on her in a battle. Aaron maintained control of internal security and the bulk militia. He seemed to be a cross between a police commissioner and a national guard general in this respect. Pirotessa continued her duties as defacto leader of the dimensionally relocated elves and their pokegirl charges.

The Minako maintained her position of Alpha of the harem, but each of the girls respected the fact that Serena was the Moon Princess. In this respect she was required to take on a lot of leadership responsibilities when they were necessary. As the future queen she had to know how to win the hearts and minds of the people as well as defend her queendom. This lead to a sort of weird co-alpha status at home, but it reverted to battlefield conditions with Minako as sole alpha in combat at present.

As for Scott.. he was somewhat like the big daddy of the family. Despite his best efforts people in the city either referred to him as the master or his lordship. Then again a few of the people he had turned away due to undesirable actions referred to him as 'that bastard!'.

It was strange for the man to have so many people looking to him for guidance and leadership. He never really wanted such a thing in his old life. There were day dreams he might have had where he was an important figure. He was beloved and well respected. However, none of those were quite like this.

He looked out at the river and contemplated the growing sense of unease in the pit of his stomach as well. He couldn't put his finger on it but somehow he doubted these easy days would continue much longer. Something was coming.

He looked up and noticed the sky becoming over cast and his sharp, crisp, vision noticed rain in the far distance. A flash of lightning that he could barely see which was followed by a soft quiet crackle of distant thunder.

It was incredibly cliche but he nodded to himself, took a deep breath, then said it anyway, "There's a storm coming..."

...

Author's note: My apologies for the wait. I planned to write pretty much all of the next chapter after this as part of this chapter. I decided otherwise though. This seemed a good place to stop and turn it in for review. :P

There's about two.. to three more chapters in this volume. Till next time sports fans!

Be sure to brush your teeth and chew your food!

Sailor Moon Says!

Edited Author's note: FF once again ate my formatting.. I had to redo things.. I apologize for any who read this chapter before I changed it for clarity's sake.


	27. Understanding

The wind and rain howled fiercely outside of the spire as a lone figure gazed out into the gloom and haze. The storm had lasted for two days straight now with no end in sight. It seemed like some great unnatural beast weeping its torrential sorrow over the land. The sole occupant of the spire gazed outward from castle Hard Rock and sighed deeply. She didn't enjoy being cooped up like this.

A voice from the stairwell alerted her that she was no longer alone. Upon turning she saw the one person she had been hoping to avoid just a little longer.

"Oh, you are up here then." said Pirotessa with a passionless tone. Arshes could not not help but notice that the dark elf woman was dressed in her customary tight fitting dress. It was hard to say whether she was fit for adventuring or solicitation with that ensemble.

Arshes nodded at her wordlessly then turned back to the window she was gazing out of. Why did it have to be her of all people?

The dark elf moved into the observation spire and found a window of her own. This particular spire was meant to be used to observe the lay of the land. It could serve as a guard post, but it was primarily just for relaxation.

Neither spoke for a time as they continued on in uncomfortable silence. As time passed, however, the tension in the air become palpable and inevitably one of them spoke.

"What is your problem with me?" asked Pirotessa. She had sensed tension from the girl since the day they had officially met. The fact that she had also been radiating tension and hostility that day had long since been forgotten.

Arshes turned to stare at her with one eyebrow quirked. "Who says I have an issue with you?"

Pirotessa snorted at her and shook her head. "You've been glaring daggers at me since the day we met."

"Whatever, I don't need to deal with this crap." replied the half dark elf before she started for the door.

"Oh yes you do! I want answers." snapped Pirotessa as her hand flew to her sword-hilt.

The former lord of havoc turned toward her as her own hand moved to her sword pommel. "You do not order me to do anything dark elf."

It was Pirotessa's turn to quirk her eyebrow. A few hundred years ago this would have been a bloody battle scene by now. However, she'd both matured and mellowed with time. "You say that as though it were an insult. Aren't you half dark elf?"

Arshes glowered at her darkly. "Like it matters. There's only been one person to ever give a shit about me and he's the most perverted bastard alive."

"Scott isn't that much of a pervert." replied Pirotessa casually. Something about how the half elven girl had said that made her discount Scott immediately though.

"Scott.. no. Not him." admitted Arshes before turning her head to the side and slowly moving her hand from the pommel of her sword. Bringing up his name had taken the fight out of her. Her attempts to sort out her thoughts regarding him had been the entire reason she'd come up here. She had needed to escape her room and find somewhere to think. Eventually she had found herself here.

"Then who?" asked the dark elf curiously. She knew next to nothing about the other dark elf in Scott's life. She felt a need to discover something about this girl that had fought alongside him these last few months while she herself had been stuck in a lab or the occasional committee meeting.

"Who indeed. It's weird. I screamed bloody murder at him for having that sleazy harem of his while he kept telling me he loved me. Yet.." began Nei as she continued to try to piece together her thoughts.

Pirotessa gazed thoughtfully at her as she gave the elven descended girl a chance to compose her thoughts. Arshes seemed to be on the verge of admitting something to herself and it seemed wrong to rush her.

Arshes shook her head. "It's different. He's not Darshe. There's a few similarities but he's not him."

The half elven girl looked over at Pirotessa and blinked. "It doesn't matter. He's a world away and there's work to do here now."

P-chan nodded. "I know what you mean. It's hard leaving the past behind."

The half elf gazed at her for a moment as a memory trickled through her mind. During the night of Scott's big meeting she had heard a little of Pirotessa's story.

She nodded at the white clad dark elf. She bring herself to like her but she felt she could understand her a little more. Besides she didn't seem like the type to simply toss a small child onto the side of the road and let her fend for herself after raising her. The dark elves of her homeland had seen their chance to be rid of her and they had taken it.

In Pirotessa's mind she had begun to feel the first stirrings of comprehension in regards to this genetic anamoly. On her home-world elves and humans could not interbreed. While this was counter to the way Scott had seen it on his precious anime, it was her reality. In his entertainment scenarios there had been several half elves of varying types. In her reality it simply was not true.

The two female elves gazed at each other for a moment then slowly turned away from each other. Arshes began moving toward the door and Pirotessa returned to looking out the window. In a way, it was like a changing of the guard.

...

Chapter 27: Understanding

...

"Knock knock" called the voice of Serena as she stood outside of Minako's room. She had come to see how her co-alpha was doing. The normally bubbly blond had been rather reserved and distant of late as the daily routines had settled in.

"Hmmm, oh hi." responded the slicer as she looked up from her desk with tired blood-shot eyes. The last few days had been rough on her.

Serena came in and stood next to her friend and harem sister. She'd been worried about her for a while now, but recently she'd been getting worse. "What's wrong Mina?"

The slicer sighed softly and looked at the photos sitting on her desk that she had placed into frames. These were her parents. No attempt at contacting them had gone through but she felt it was true. Scott wouldn't lie to her about something like this. "I just can't remember anything since before I went feral. It's like my memories are simply gone. And.."

"And?" pressed Serena as she pulled up a chair and sat next to the other blond in the harem.

Minako looked over at her with tear stained eyes, "Scott.. suggested something the other day.."

"What? Is this why you're upset?" asked the angel pokegirl as she restrained herself from hugging the other pokegirl.

Minako nodded slightly before reaching out to the framed photo of her parents. Even though she was a pokegirl she still looked a great deal like them. Finally, she answered. "Scott.. told me something he suspected."

Serena began stroking Minako's hair as the girl began to shake lightly. After a moment she revealed her master's suspicion. "He thinks someone might have run me through a level five cycle and abandoned me in the woods."

The angel pokegirl gasped at her in horror. "No way? That's..that's.. just.."

"Probably the answer." replied Minako softly. She couldn't remember because someone had decided to destroy her mind and leave her in the woods like so much refuse. She was a thrown away remnant of the girl she used to be.

"What, that... I mean Mina.." babbled Serena for a moment before she grew quiet. What did you really have to say to someone that happened to? Saying "I'm sorry" wouldn't be appropriate and might even be condescending.

Finally, in a moment of clarity and maturity that would have shocked many Serena spoke the words her friend needed to hear most. "I'm here for you. We all are."

The slicer looked over at her Co-alpha and blinked softly as the tears slowed. For a brief moment she saw something in Serena's face that was beyond the goofy pokegirl she had begun to see as a friend and family member.

Unable to restrain herself she leaned into her Co-alpha and wrapped her in a tight hug. She shook for a time as the angel held her softly and kissed her gently along the ear and murmured sweet sentiments of love and friendship.

...

Rei sighed softly and ran the comb through her mane once more. In the last few weeks she had grown more and more confused. Taming wasn't an issue and neither was ferality. She could have her needs taken care of by the other girls without much preamble. The problem was in where she fit in.

Theoretically she was supposed to be a sailor senshi. However, she had never transformed. She was supposedly part of the group as well, but she had never allowed herself to go visit Scott to make that official. He had told her that he wouldn't turn her away or force her into anything. This had been a nice gesture but it would have been so much easier if he had just done what most guys do. She was a pokegirl that technically belonged to him. They'd never developed an alpha bond or had any real intimacy beyond conversation. In short, he'd been a slightly perverted gentleman. His occasional corny and perverse joke would ruin the 'perfect' gentleman status she might have afforded him otherwise.

There were other problems that would occasionally plague her as well. She hadn't transformed yet. That was a major issue with her. During the affair on the bus she had been useless. Scott insisted she was this 'Sailor Mars' person but she didn't know. It was like something was missing.

The thing that bothered her the most was also the greatest relief. Scott hadn't addressed their engaged status yet. He was a great guy. In the beginning she didn't want to believe that. However, over the course of the last four months or so she had learned a lot about the man. She couldn't really hope for a better tamer and he didn't seem like he would be a bad husband either.

The problem was that she hated to give in to anyone. In her mind it felt like the longer she could hold out the longer she remained her own person.

Rei sighed softly as she looked into the mirror before her and finished combing her hair. Her ears flicked lightly then folded back as she acquired a far away look in her eyes. She'd had dreams, hopes, for the future. She wanted to be a songwriter among other things. She'd always hoped to be able to live life by her own terms and never look back.

She was lost in thought for a moment until a knock came at her door. She moved to open it and discovered the object of her thoughts standing before her. "Hi, Rei."

The catgirl blinked at him a moment then frowned slightly and looked away. "Hi.."

Scott gazed down at her softly and continued speaking, "Are you busy?"

She blushed lightly and turned away. "I.. was.. no, not really.."

"If you don't mind I would like to come in and talk." explained the man as he continued to speak softly and pay careful attention to her. If she showed any real sign of not wanting to talk to him he would leave and try again another day.

"What about..?" asked the raven haired catgirl while staring at a particularly interesting portion of her bare wall. She hadn't really decorated much yet for some reason. However that one blank spot was positively fascinating at the moment.

"What you want." he replied without hesitation.

She flushed lightly and shook her head, still not looking at him. "I.. don't know... I was.. combing my hair.."

"Well, let me help with that then.." answered the man with continuing softness.

She shook her head. "Fine, if you want."

Scott smiled at her and she returned that smile tentatively. The door closed behind them as they moved toward the mirror to spend some quality time together and do each other's hair...

...

Jacob Halston and his camp were hunkered down inside the ruins of a fallen Pre-Sukebe building about twenty miles outside of the rapidly growing town. The storm had finally passed but it was still night and they wouldn't set out for the town proper until morning. Within his camp were his three pokegirls, his goods, several other traders, and the two tamers guarding them all.

Something had his titmouse on edge tonight, but she wouldn't say what. It wouldn't be till the last of the rain had finally passed altogether and the clouds began to give way to the stars above that the first tendrils of alarm began to spread through the soul of the long time trader. It was a simple thing really. He overheard one of the tamer guards mentioning his 'stupid guntit' wasn't answering him when he called. She'd left her guard post apparently.

An hour would pass before the next person went missing. This time it was one of the children of the elemental stone trader from Gantsbridge who had come to the new city to do trade. This caused a general alarm throughout the camp. They had to send out a search party.

Unfortunately, the scream of his Nursejoy would end that plan. The head of a smile boy stared up at her from her feet where it had just rolled to a stop.

"What the hell? Oh god.. James..oh god no!" screamed the man as he ran over to his nursing pokegirl and his only son's decapitated head.

A soft clacking hiss from the woods was the only mocking reply to the man's pain. More shouts came from around the camp as a sudden screech followed by a dark blur zipped through the camp and snatched up a young trader who had been wielding a shotgun like he meant business.

His screams of anguish echoed through the night as the clacking hiss began to erupt from various points around the camp. It was obvious that whatever was attacking there had to be more than one of them.

"What the hell do we do? We can't see for shit out there!" snapped one of the tamer guards as he released all of his remaining pokegirls. Each of them was trained and powerful in the manner of an experienced mercenary. Sadly neither they, nor any of the other travelers would be a match for the horrors that suddenly erupted within the camp after a brief laugh echoed from out of the woods.

"Dinner time.." cackled the creature before a loud SCREEEE was heard from six simultaneous points around them camp. In the dim fire light it was hard to make out the forms as they blurred into the thickest knots of people and began hacking them apart with wild frenzied abandon. Body parts rained down upon the earth as scythe like arms ripped and tore into nearly helpless individuals.

A few pokegirl managed to launch elemental attacks but they only succeeded in adding to the chaos as several of their camp mates fell to friendly fire. Jacob screamed in agony as he clawed at the uncaring earth not long after the massacre began. He was trying desperately to get away only to tear a desperate gouge in the ground as he was ripped backward and away from escape. In his terror he missed seeing the sight of one of the tamers fleeing the battle suddenly splitting in half mid-run. As his left leg shot forward a coherent wave of force tore through him with the precision of a surgical strike. The left half of his body kept moving forward while the right half fell back and away.

Jacob was flipped over and in the dim firelight he finally saw the face of his killer. She looked like a normal pokegirl save for the secondary scythe like arms and the blood red eyes that gleamed in the firelight.

She knelt down atop him and hissed softly while he stared in terror. Her fingernails slid slowly along his shirt near the center of his chest. For a brief moment she smiled at him tenderly, in an endearing manner that caused him to give off an awkward smile of his own. Then almost casually she slammed her fingers into his chest and tore open his ribcage.

His screams were muffled by her palm as it shot over his mouth. She shook her head gently and ripped his still beating heart from his chest then held it up into his line of sight. Some of his own life's blood dripped into his eyes as she softly told him, "No. You already gave me your heart my sweet. That beautiful gift is far better than any love song you might sing."

She took a bite out of his heart while he looked on helplessly gasping. It wasn't much longer before the horribly injured man passed from the world of life the image of a non-feral pokegirl devouring his heart the last thing he would see.

It wasn't too much longer before the attackers finished off the caravan. It had barely been worth the effort, free snacks or not.

...

Rei sat on the edge of her bed while Scott sat backwards in her only chair while facing her. "I don't know what I want. Ok?" she replied at last.

"It's ok not to know Rei. I just want to know how you're holding up." replied the man thoughtfully. They had spent a silent hour combing each other's hair but now it was time to discuss business, so to speak.

"You keep saying that.. but.."

Scott nodded at her then replied. "It's true you know. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"What about you? What.. do you want?" asked the catgirl lightly with a soft blush.

"For you to be happy Rei. I want everyone to have what they deserve most. A life free from all this bullshit. Wars, battles, saving the world.. they're all cooler on television where no one gets hurt for real." he replied with a nod.

"Can't you just be honest.." she muttered.

"Huh?" he asked her curiously.

"Do you want to tame me or not!" she snapped finally with a tearful, heated, look in her eyes.

He looked at her for a moment without speaking causing her to become self conscious and turn away. Finally he answered. "You're not my property Rei. I'd like to think you're a friend of mine."

She sighed at him and shook her head while her ears flattened out. "I know all that. That's not what I'm asking..."

Scott blinked at her as she started trembling a little. He was shocked to see an actual tear began to trace down her cheeks. "Rei..."

"Just.. tell me.." she whispered in a soft heart-aching voice. "Am.. I.."

"I've told you all along Rei. I'm waiting for you to make your decision."

She shook her head. He wasn't getting it. She wanted to know what he really thought of her.

Scott was at a loss for a moment as he watched someone he cared about crying. He didn't understand what she was so upset about. He wasn't forcing himself on her. Wasn't this a good thing.

It took a moment but soon he began to hear a soft, half-whisper. It sounded a little like a song, a familiar one.

Rei softly sang the words, "I've waited.. all of my life.. for the day when love appears.."

It took him a moment but he finally thought he was beginning to understand the problem. He was a bit dense sometimes despite the appearance of superior reasoning skills. He wasn't capable of forgetting anymore but he could still be absent minded and garner wrong conclusions. It seems in many ways the Rei Hino before him was like the one he'd grown up with on television.

He listened to her singly softly for a moment. Then just to try and help the situation he picked up on the song but changed the words slightly to reflect some of his own narture.

"Now.. I feel her standing close to me.." he began softly catching her attention. She looked up in shock, her cat ears perked in surprise. How could he..

"How can I tell her what she means to.. me.. "

"D-don't say that if you don't.. mean it." she whispered softly.

Scott knew then what the problem truly was. The pokegirl before him wanted something she thought she'd lost forever. She wanted to truly be loved and to love in return. As a pokegirl she was only property legally. You can adore a chair cushion but loving it was a different thing altogether.

In response Scott stood up and moved over to sit next to her on the bed. She blushed furiously but didn't pull away. His arm went around her waist and in reply her tail curled around his.

He leaned in softly and whispered into her ear, "My heart stands still, has she come..?"

The tears came back again full force as she flung her arms around him and started to shake. Several months of pent up frustration and worry were finally coming undone.

She whispered back a few minutes later, "Oh starry night.."

Scott replied, "Is this the moment I dream of.."

She looked up at him then with her tears shining brightly in her eyes. Both of them thought the next words to themselves.. 'Oh starry.. night..'

Then simultaneously they softly sang out, "Tell me, is he my own true love." The only difference between them was that Scott supplied the word she instead of he. The meaning was clear. The atmosphere in the room had shifted from sad and reluctant to expectant and giddy.

Fingers slid along flesh, forehead clicked forehead, and lips softly began to caress lips. In their minds the song continued for a time, speaking of lonely nights here in her room waiting for her prince to come. As they began to slide backward onto the bed wrapped in each other's arms she would have to wait no longer.

...

"Oh, I get it. If it's too tight it hurts?" she asked curiously. They'd been at it all night and long into the morning. She was tired, and sore from her exertions. Still it was a job well done.

"Yes", replied Ami. "It can do more than hurt too. A tourniquet is used to cut off circulation so an injured person doesn't bleed to death. If it's applied too tightly on an uninjured limb it might kill seriously damage the limb. In severe cases death or amputation may be necessary if healing power aren't available."

Makoto and Ryoko nodded. They didn't really have any healing abilities and thought it would be a good idea to learn basic first aid at least. When Ami had suggested it they had seen the merit considering how often they all got injured.

"Why not just use magic?" asked Luna in a snarky mood. There seemed to be plenty of healers in the world.

"Magic doesn't always work, and some locations cause it to fail entirely." replied Ami.

Luna mewed as if she didn't believe it but wouldn't press the issue. This wasn't combat training but at least it was time spent away from Scott learning new skills. She thought he was a bad influence on the girls. Why they barely listened to her at all when he was around!

The tiger, whom had decided his name was unpronounceable with a human tongue so simply answered to Tiger, glanced at her disdainfully then padded over to the girls and proceeded to look adorably badass until Ryoko picked him up.

"Well aren't you just so cute!"

"Yes. Yes I am." stated Tiger without any apology in his tone. He knew he was sexy beast so why be falsely modest.

The girls giggled at him then couldn't help but laugh more when he tilted his head and announced in a surprisingly soft masculine tone. "I am Tiger, a fierce hell beast. Pet me if you dare."

Luna couldn't stand it anymore and left as the girls fawned all over the evil creature. She just knew it was bad news. Nothing that adorably badass could be anything but trouble.

As she continued walking she eventually passed a room where several of the elite guard where gathered around discussing their next training mission. This was vaguely interesting and she did listen for a while. Eventually she grew bored, however, and went looking for Serena.

What she eventually found was Aaron and Alanera deep in discussion around a cantaloupe sized glowing white sphere. She listened in as they discussed it. Apparently it was some sort of device crafted to act as a mystical key stone for the wards and barriers of the castle. The only one that could access it was Scott once it was complete, but it would allow him to shift power from one protection to another and even to communicate directly with everyone who was connected to it via magic. This included the entire populace of the palace.

Eventually she got bored as they started going into magical theory that was quite a bit over her head, not that she'd admit to any such thing. She continued on in her search and managed to stumble into every room in the castle looking for her princess.

In the end, she never did find her that night.

...

The morning brought many revelations. Rei had never been tamed by a human before and as such she was currently in taming shock. It was cute but she was obviously annoyed with only being able to say 'catgirl' in some variation.

There were other notable items of interest that day. A roving patrol had spotted a destroyed campsite twenty miles outside of town and a contingent of the elite guard backed by the Militia was heading into the woods to try and flush out the bandits or feral pokegirls involved. This would be a force over a hundred strong. If there was anyone or anything still in the woods near that abandoned camp they would find it or them.

Another revelation was that of all the possible people to show up in town one unexpected visitor was gladly received, even if he insisted on baking cookies in the kitchen. Ru didn't seem interested in telling anyone about the adventures that had brought him to town, and when he baked it was seemingly out of a sense of determination. Clearly, something had happened to the former drider and current keebler elf..

Minako had asked to speak with Scott alone soon, and once the mission to the destroyed campsite was complete he would be able to talk. Till then he had to make certain his troops were prepped properly by their generals. It was a joint task force mission so both Arshes and Aaron were running herd on the group. Kai Harn and her ..chocobo-knights would be in command of the operation. How strange that the creatures she had seen in the woods had turned out to be overgrown chickens with delusions of dancing competence. The damned things warked constantly and tried to do weird little shuffle-steps to entertain themselves. It was cute but distracting. Another thing he had noted was that there was no chocoboob pokegirl species in this world. Several species he considered standard staples of pokegirl canon didn't exist.

Why they didn't just learn to ride ponytaurs, or some other taur species was beyond him. He generally liked chocobos but these were loud and obnoxious compared to their final fantasy game versions. They also crapped all over everything and the fat one kept eating anything that got within beak range. The worst part about him, however, was that if you asked him nicely he'd spit it back up for you. Somehow this was supposedly a storage service and he wanted carrots in exchange. Why the hell did a overgrown talking chicken want a carrot?

Scott knew the reference and world it was from, but it was still a weird way to do business. As the early morning wore on, final preparations were made and then the massed force marched out of the city toward the campground and their destiny.

...

"Master? Why do we not simply destroy them? None of them are a match for us?" asked one of the mantis pokegirls. The hunter class super youma was eager to devour the energy and flesh of the hated human prey. At least this is what the tendrils of negative force controlling her thoughts and instincts informed her. On a more honest note this was generally her usual thought process anyway. Humanity did taste ever so good after all.

"Not yet. I want to send a message written in their blood. We will wait for the right moment though." replied the negaverse general. Jedite's plan was moving ahead nicely. The city was spending its forces looking for his strike force and weakening its defenses.

When the time was right they would strike. Until then, the hapless fools would keep marching to their ultimate end. Cannon fodder was funny that way.

...

AN: Well, there we go. I'd apologize for taking so long to finish this chapter but i'm working on a side story and a crap load of other pokegirl stories as well. Two more chapters till this volume is finished. Enjoy!

Please review, even if you hate it!


	28. Resolution

The storm had passed and the days wore on as the town waited for some word of the lost expeditionary force. No one had returned yet, and despite all attempts to locate them mystically there was no current knowledge of their whereabouts. In all honesty this made people think the worst.

Arshes Nei had pleaded with Scott on several occasions to be allowed to ride out and locate Kai Harn's battle group. He had vetoed her every time despite understanding her desire. If the group really had been destroyed then that meant there was something out in the wilds which was capable of taking down an elite force of well trained and equipped soldiers. That did not bode well for rescue attempts, even attempts by one named the 'Thunder Empress'.

The denials had left things strained between the two, but there had been little in the way of open conflict between them. It was merely angry words fueled by fear and frustration.

The days had been hard on the people of the town and the castle denizens. The halls seemed empty and people rarely left their tents or homes. The air was alive with concern and fear. It was as though the entire atmosphere of the area was impregnated by doubt and the shadow of terror lurking unseen by even the most wary individual. It would not be much longer before they all discovered exactly what the sense of impending doom lingering in the air was about.

Chapter 28: Resolution

"Look, we can't wait any longer. We don't know what happened to them!" snapped Arshes Nei as she once again tried to convince Scott to send out another search party. He had sent two groups out in the course of the week and neither had returned. His carefully trained forces had been cut in half by this excursion and subsequent mysterious losses.

Night after night people had simply disappeared from their homes. Guards disappeared from their post. There were the occasional signs of struggle but those were few and far between. Whatever was doing this did it with surgical precision and without any concern for being caught.

The town's people were absolutely terrified and the worst part was that they could do nothing about it. At this rate they would all disappear in a few months.

"That's the problem Arshes. If we run off out there half-cocked we won't get anything accomplished. We're obviously under attack, but we have no real clues as to how or why. I suspect it's the dark kingdom at work, but it can't be proven yet." remarked Scott as he gazed sternly into her eyes.

"Well, that's not good enough! We've lost over a hundred people, including trained soldiers on top of the hunter groups that have gone missing. That also doesn't include Kai and her group! In less than a week we've lost nearly a fourth of the people in town!" raged the half-elven hottie. She knew why Scott was reluctant, but that didn't satisfy her.

Scott nodded his head slowly. "I know. It's getting worse every day. The problem is that we have no leads at all. We lost all three of the groups we sent and anyone who has run off on their own to figure out what was happening has been lost as well."

"Well? What do you plan to do about it!" asked the dark-elf in a slowly dissolving rage. She knew he was aware of the problem. She just wished he would show some more emotion about it. Deep down she knew he was right about the situation but it still galled her.

"I have no choice. I'm going to invoke martial law and bring everyone into the castle. It was designed to be a fall back shelter. It's time to use it as such. At least here we have video surveillance equipment to catch glimpses of our attackers." remarked the man before he turned to gaze out of the sole window of his planning room.

Nei blinked at that and nodded slowly as she realized what he intended. He couldn't just keep sending people off to get killed or captured. He needed to regroup and protect the civilians. It was probably the only chance they had.

"Space is going to be tight. The bunker beneath the castle has another few weeks left before it's finished." replied Arshes thoughtfully. She had decided to continue playing devil's advocate.

"The primary chambers are largely complete even if they are unfurnished. We can fit a little over a thousand people in here if we press them. It will be crowded and uncomfortable, but it will be doable." countered Scott. It was a dangerous decision in all reality. Abandoning the town would basically mean forting up for siege procedures. They would not lose people in small numbers every night, but with everyone clustered in one spot it would make it much easier to take everyone out at once if that was the enemy's goal.

Nei closed her eyes then opened them slowly. She had no further arguments. This was not what she had hoped to hear but it made the most tactical sense. "Do you want me to give the order?"

Scott nodded at her. "I'd appreciate it. I need to go talk to the others and get everyone prepared. This is not a typical dark kingdom tactic and something about this scenario makes me feel like it's building toward something."

The halfbreed dark elf bit her lower lip and turned away without responding. The truth is that Scott was not the only one who felt that way. A large number of people throughout the castle and the town proper had seemed to feel like something terrible was fact that Scott felt the need to mention something which was rather obvious made her shudder slightly.

After she left the room, the leader of the town and master of senshi walked over and locked the door behind her. Following this action he sat down in his comfortable chair and closed his eyes. Soft tears began to trail down his cheeks as he finally let himself vent. He had failed his people utterly in the last few days and it was obvious to him that something had to happen soon. Unfortunately, he did not know what to do.

Sitting around crying would not help. However, he could not help himself at the moment. Here secure in the room where he made his important official decisions, the master of this city of hope shed his tears. No one could be allowed to witness them. He would not force his fears onto them. He had to be strong for their sake, even if he felt like he was about to snap at any time.

It was not just the last few days that had brought him to this point, though. In all reality his entire time in this world had begun to feel like one all-consuming FUBAR scenario. Everyone he knew relied on him to have 'the answer'. He had always been quick to come up with ideas that generally worked. Some did not, but most did.

He had no real answer for the current dilemma. Forting up was the only option he had. This meant he had no answer at all. Scott could not help but think that he was doing exactly what their enemy desired. He was in effect, putting all of the local tuna into a single can. It was a disaster waiting to happen and he had no real viable alternative. He would have to play the game and hope for a chance to end this threat without any more of his people suffering for his incompetence and lack of foresight.

...

Three days had passed since martial law had been declared. Some people adamantly refused to enter the castle and hunker down. Some of those individuals were arrested for attempted looting not long after. Several of the other's disappeared into the night with no way to know their true fate. They might have ran for it or they might have been taken. It was impossible to tell.

In the end, only around twelve hundred civilians and roughly sixty soldiers remained of the once bustling small town. Each of these citizens were lost amidst their own thoughts as time passed without much happening. They went up to the surface to walk the castle grounds in lots of fifty based on their group chamber numbers. This would allow them a few hours of sunshine or freedom from their prison-like homes.

No one in the castle went missing in the night, however. This simple fact kept the grumbling to a minimum for the first few days at least.

"Has the guard changed yet?" Aaron asked one of his subordinates. The gunvalkyrie saluted him smartly and replied, "Yes, sir."

"Very good, carry on."

Once the minor matter of protocol was taken care of the guild leader of Oldtowne moved on to his next meeting. Scott wanted status reports on everything going on currently in the castle.

The conference chambers were always a hotbed of activity of late. The logistics of sheltering this many people in cramped accommodations was a nightmare that obviously kept the dimensionally displaced man awake at night.

Aaron strode into a chamber filled with several members of Scott's primary harem, a few of the local officials that had been elected democratically, and another assortment of individuals he had not seen before.

"Look. I am not going to authorize that." responded Scott to an unheard question. The elder knight gazed upon the man who was both the leader of this city, his leader, and his protege of sorts. It had been a strange relationship but a rewarding one. The idea of taking orders from someone you were responsible for training did sit oddly with the man, but despite the fears and qualms Scott seemed to have Aaron trusted his judgment.

"Master, we need to send out search parties! We have no idea where our townspeople have been taken!" exclaimed the newly elected head councilman for the town. Scott was the master and titular head of the region, but he had far too many responsibilities to be the sole head of the town. Elections had taken place prior to the attacks with officials elected only two days prior to the first reported missing persons.

"I'm well aware of that Gregory. That's the main problem. I've sent several search parties, most of those prior to the call for martial law. None returned. If we send a large force it might accomplish something. However, we tried that initially and we have not heard from any of them either."

"So, what? You propose we sit in here and hide for the rest of our lives!" snapped a middle aged man. Aaron recognized him as Samuel Kim. He was the councilman slated for running the trade and commerce aspects of the city.

Minako glowered at him and moved her hand toward her weapon but Scott raised his hand to negate her movement. "We've been doing the only kind of scouting we can for the moment."

"What might that be?" inquired a blond hair woman. Aaron joined the group as Scott answered her.

"We've been tracking the energy spikes in the surrounding forest and fields. There is a general disruptive influence that makes perfect mystical sensory tracking impossible currently, but we've discovered the most likely direction that our enemies might currently be at."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Gregory.

Scott quirked an eyebrow and asked him calmly in response. "How much land is in the forest east of here?"

"Surely, it's not the entire forest that we'd have to search?" asked the head councilman.

The master of the city shook his head. "Only about twelve hundred square miles of it, give or take."

That brought the arguing council members up short. It certainly sounded like a great deal of ground to cover.

"Look. We do have a few of our high-flying scouts checking the area. They do seem to be able to return unmolested for the most part."

"Have they found nothing then?" asked Jennifer, the blond woman from before.

Scott grew silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The forest has dense foliage. We're hoping that we can use some of the Indigo league's satellite imagery, but so far none of the passovers have shown us much that is useful. Even equipment designed to see individual pine needles on trees while in high orbit cannot penetrate the foliage to the ground in most areas."

"So, we have no real leads at all." replied Samuel.

Aaron watched as Scott sighed softly, closed his eyes, then opened them slowly. "There is one lead. We'll check into it as soon as we get more information. However, I will not discuss that at this time as it may lead to people running off half-cocked to get killed. It might not even pan out."

That statement brought a riot of querying voices but they were quickly silenced by Arshes Nei. "You've been told all that you can at the moment!"

"Thank you for that." replied Scott as he struggled to fight off yet another severe headache. They had been growing more powerful of late. He currently believed their existence had to do with little sleep and a great deal of worry.

"Look! We deserve to know anything you know!" growled Samuel loudly.

Arshes was about to offer him a bitter retort but Scott spoke up, "Yes. You do. However, what you deserve and what can hurt you are the same thing right now. You know almost everything there is to know now. Anything else is speculation and not concrete. Telling you this information would be akin to lying to you because it might not be anything of value. Do you want me to lie to you?"

Samuel frowned at him darkly then turned away. He really could not argue with that. If Scott told him what he was holding back now it would only be to calm his nerves and nothing more.

"So, what do you suggest we tell the people?" asked Jennifer.

"The truth. We have a possible lead, but no real idea if it will pan-out. They are to remain inside the castle for the immediate future for their own safety. There is no need to sugar coat it or to mention how we are working around the clock to solve the situation. They are smart people. Treat them that way. They already know we're busting our asses to figure this out."

"That might work." remarked Gregory thoughtfully. He advised blatant honesty as a political tool? What manner of creature was the master anyway?

The impromptu council meeting adjourned not long after and the regularly scheduled meeting began. Aaron, Arshes, and Pirotessa each gave their reports on the castle situation. Food rations were dwindling quickly. Sanitation was a slowly creeping issue as well. The people would need to bathe and clean their clothing among other things soon. The logistics of the situation were overwhelming. The dig teams had been working steadily to create new under ground chambers, or to fortify existing ones.

Once the discussions finally ended, they also adjourned. However, to Scott's surprise no one left the room. During the time he had been talking all of the people he had grown to hold dear in this world had either remained or trickled into the room. There was a long pregnant pause in the room as he looked around at each of them. He was trying to discern what was going on, there was a strange vibe in the room.

Pirotessa broke the silence first. "You can't do it."

Scott blinked at her and replied, "Do it?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" exclaimed Rei heatedly with a lash of her tail and perk of her ears.

The man glanced at her briefly, honestly confused for a moment.

"Master, Scott, we know what you're planning to do." said Makoto.

He frowned at her as he finally began to realize what this was. It was a leadership intervention. Next thing you knew, they'd be babbling about how much they love him and need him.

"You're a fucking idiot!" growled Arshes angrily. Ok, she was not so much with the sentimentality but surely the love was there?

Aaron nodded. "You can't do it alone."

Scott sighed deeply. "Look. I almost got us killed on so many occassions. I just wanted.."

"You just wanted to run off half-cocked and get yourself killed.. sound familiar?" asked Artemis in a chiding tone.

"The master would not die. Death is not for his kind. Yet, it would be a foolish idea." defended the tiger with a flap of his wings.

Scott glanced down at the tiny adorable hellbeast and shook his head. "Thanks, for the.. vote of confidence."

"Just, tell us why you were going to do it?" asked Serena with a pleading look in her eyes. "I thought you trusted us.."

"Dammit.." muttered the man. He was not able to fight those eyes. "Serena.. I.. did not want you or any of the others to get hurt. We've lost so many people."

"So, to save us all you wanted to march off to your heroic death?" scoffed Arshes Nei.

"Again, thanks for the confidence." remarked Scott lightly.

Minako walked over to him and frowned at him with wide innocent eyes. "Couldn't you have at least told us?"

"Would you have let me go on my own if I had?"

"Hell no!" snapped Arshes loudly. He exclamation drowned out the other negative responses that came from many of the others as well. This included a negative sounding kitty roar from the tiger.

"Why search the spot you found, though?" asked Ami. She was curious about his motives as well, despite not really feeling like part of his harem. Being biologically human tended to render such things as strange.

Scott bit his lip for a moment, chewing over his thoughts. "It's an abandoned airfield."

"Why would that be important?" asked Luna with an intrigued, excessively British accented, tone.

"It might not be.. but.. the last battle with Jedite happened at an airport in the Sailor Moon anime back home. Like I told the council members, it's only a potential lead."

"Fine, but why go alone? You could have sent a scouting party!" railed Pirotessa with a low scowl that matched the one Arshes was also sporting.

"None of the scouting parties ever came back. I didn't want anyone else to be lost while I sat here," remarked the man calmly, yet again.

Serena seemed like she was about to ask a question but they were interrupted by the sudden entrance of a heavily panting human soldier.

He took a brief moment to catch his breath and announced, "Master! There is a large group approaching from the east!"

Aaron beat Scott to the punch by asking, "Can they be identified?"

The as yet unnamed soldier shook his head and took a deep breath. "Captain Bethany sent me as soon as she spoke with the patrol scouts. Patrol scouts informed her of a company of humans and pokegirls on the march."

"How many?" asked Scott seriously.

"Best guess was around one hundred."

"A hundred?" asked Minako incredulously. That would be a hard fight to deal with. One hundred human soldiers would have been bad enough, but pokegirls involved would make it tremendously difficult.

"Where any of them recognizable?" asked Scott with a growing sense of dread.

"The patrol guards did not say, master."

"We'll need to prepare then." replied Scott before turning to his generals. "Get the guards prepared and bring all the citizens inside."

"At once." replied Aaron. Similar statements came from Pirotessa and Arshes. The three of them immediately began heading out of the room as Scott turned back to the guard who had come running to give this message.

"How long do you think it will take for this force to arrive?"

"It was the far forward guard who spotted them. If we're lucky we might have an hour left." replied the man.

"Alright. Head back to your captain and let her know we're preparing. She's to set up blockade scenario one and inform the other patrol groups to move to their appropriate positions. Set the comms to the appropriate channels."

"At once, sir!" announced the soldier before turning around and racing out of the room to perform his tasks.

"That would have been much simpler if they could have just radioed that information in." remarked Makoto thoughtfully.

"True, but there is no way to know if our communication lines were compromised when our scouts went missing. We have little choice now, but radio silence was preferred before."

The girls nodded their heads. He'd explained that a while back, even if some still disagreed with it.

"I'll be in the command chambers. Get to your positions ladies." continued Scott. Of course their positions were pretty much wherever he would be at, sans the Mizunos. They would be in triage.

Time passed as the castle occupants awaited word from the front. Contact was achieved in less than the hour suspected but not by much.

Scott, the senshi, and the battle room staff listened intently as the comms officers from the various units chattered heavily back and forth. For the first thirty minutes or so, the battle seemed to be fairly simple and straight forward.

It took less than an additional thirty minutes to finish the conflict. It had been an easy victory for the home team. Scott tried to smile at that fact, but something about the whole scenario seemed off.

Why would such a large force attack them head on like that. It seemed like a waste of man power. He was about to voice this concern with comms chatter picked up again, this time excitedly so.

"They're up! Targets are back up!" exclaimed the comms officer of the eastern wall unit. The battle had come close enough to the castle by this point that video surveillance was no longer spotty.

The occupants of the command center stared incredulously as fallen opponents continually rose again.

Scott asked the obvious question then, "Are they zombabes?"

The on-staff comms officer relayed the question to the front, but received a negative response. They apparently were not undead in any capacity.

The targeting systems on the walls began to come into play now. Ammunition was expended freely as the undying force continued to fall and rise again. Slowly their numbers seemed to thin but the defenders outside the gates were being slaughtered as well. For every attacker that fell a defender, sometimes two, fell as well. The defenders did not rise again, though most were carried off for treatment.

"Report from the front states that only massive body trauma or a clean headshot seems to be working, master." informed the bridge bunnygirl receiving comms. Bridget was a fairly competent individual despite the typical lack of intelligence for the breed. Strangely, she seemed to be reliable redirecting communications.

"Not zombabes." muttered Scott as more reports came in. It seemed that if a major vital area was damaged heavily the invaders stayed down. However, they would keep fighting as long as they could otherwise.

Eventually the invaders simply stopped moving altogether. They had been slaughtered to the last. Unfortunately, that one wave of attacking individuals had cut the overall city defense down by thirty percent and used up a great deal of precious ammunition.

When the assault finally ceased, scouts were sent out to check the area after the city-surveillance systems detected no movement within its boundaries. When the scouts reported nothing out of the ordinary, the castle stayed on alert for an additional hour before Scott gave the order to begin clean-up procedures.

The castle and its citizens stayed on alert status, even with the clean-up but nothing else happened. That is, nothing happened until some of the body remnants began to be identified. It did not take long to realize that most of them were well known figures who'd gone missing from town.

After the clean-up Scott received the last of his casualty and damage reports then sighed. They had lost twenty-eight people and dozens more were badly injured. His forces could not continually deal with that sort of conflict as they were. One lost life was a tragedy, especially when that life was part of a very small defensive force. There were only a few hundred defenders total who had not been lost on scouting missions, or taken in the night.

Night came on slowly, causing a great deal of grief and misery to the people of the embattled castle. It seemed obvious that hiding inside would not be the best strategy long term. While there were many pokegirls capable of creating water and wood, there was still the issue of sanitation and cabin fever. The castle's underground chambers were filled beyond their normal capacity and the new digging would take time to alleviate that cramped sensation.

The night passed in misery as people buried their dead outside the castle walls. The far forward scouts showed no signs of enemy troop movement at the moment and Scott allowed his people to mourn.

The long night passed in somber tone as the people clung to each other. Many of those who were in hiding within the castle had just lost a loved one, sometimes two. Those who had not were fearful that they would soon lose theirs. Resentment was beginning to well up in the hearts of many. Reproachful accusations were heard with increasing fervor as people cited mismanagement or the foolishness of setting up a city this far from any other towns.

Dawn came all too soon, and with it a choice. Scott could either set out to his original destination or continue to stay with his people and try to help them grieve. His choice was made for him as the warning alarms sounded throughout the castle calling for battle positions to be taken up.

It did not take long for him to reach his command center, and he found his team already stationed and ready. "Report."

"Sir, communications indicate small groups of humans and pokegirls attacking each guard position simultaneously. Rear guard on the castle walls indicate conflict with waterborn attackers as well." responded Bridget.

"Damn, any idea how many we're facing?" he asked.

Minako answered for her by bringing up overhead imaging scans. A few of the flying scouts had been recalled back to town the day before for this very purpose.

"Current enemy strength is once again determined to be roughly one hundred. It is a mixture of humans and pokegirls. Reports already indicate they must be put down in the same way as the last assault."

Scott frowned deeply at that and nodded. He suspected the truth of that after the medical scans of the day prior. Traces of black band etheric energy were found on most of the slain attackers.

"Alright, let's see if my hunch was right. Have the celestials been prepped?" he inquired.

"Yes, sir. All nine of our celestials are ready to begin." remarked Minako. Serena and Rei were notably absent from the room due to this fact. Rei might not have been a celestial pokegirl, but she was a shrine priestess. Her warding talismans and exorcism capacity were quite powerful.

"Begin cleansing." he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" announced Bridget as she relayed the command to the outlying units.

Scott and the others remained largely silent as the comms chattered away. Cleansing had begun. On the battlefield outside the castle dozens of possibly possessed humans and pokegirls were being targeted by high-powered exorcism and healing spells in the hope of driving out the suspected dark kingdom influence.

Time passed, and the battle eventually drew to a close. The cleansing tactic had worked, though the units assaulted were still hit hard by the sudden unexpected assault.

"Were there any survivors from the attacking side?" asked Scott hopefully. The main reason he'd wanted to try a cleansing plan was to try and regain some of the lost people from town.

"No, master. The cleansing destroyed their bodies utterly." replied Bridget with a powerful note of sadness in her voice.

"They were probably already dead then." growled the man harshly. That would mean that Jedite had most likely already killed everyone he had taken.

Ryoko unsheathed her wooden katana and held it in a low ready stance. It was obvious she wanted to go fight.

Makoto balled her fists up and placed them against the wall while hanging her head. The idea that their friends and fellow citizens were dead and nothing more than walking targets was a lot to take in.

Minako attempted to keep her composure but it was obvious that she too was hurting. These were people who had trusted them to keep them safe and now they were only dust in the wind, their lives spent as tools of the Dark Kingdom.

Bridget and her other bridge bunny compatriots simply remained sad and silent. The moon cats bowed their little kitty heads in sorrow.

Out of the entire group only Tiger seemed to be untouched by the fleetingness of human life. It would have been grating were it not for what he said not long after Scott's announcement.

"Can we go devour our enemies now master? Their tactics are disgraceful." intoned the Tiger with a casual and almost bored sound.

Scott glanced down at the hellbeast and was about to speak when the communication system became alive with chatter again. Another wave of enemy forces was approaching. This one was much larger than the last.

"Prepare to engage! Celestials at the ready!" snapped out Scott as he shifted the view screen imagery a bit to get a closer view of the battle. He wanted to be out there fighting so badly he could taste it. The idea of sitting inside the castle while brave men, women, and pokegirls fought to protect him and the other citizens was grating on his very soul.

After roughly two minutes of scanning the view screen indicated that over three hundred enemy troops were assaulting the defensive perimeter simultaneously. That would nearly account for all of the missing people now. Something about the situation told Scott that he should not believe Jedite to be out of forces, however. The forests and fields were crawling with feral pokegirls several miles outside of the city. The airfield was a forty mile trek. He would have plenty of cannon fodder available if he was really located there.

The only reason these particular troops would be attacking is to hurt morale while weakening the city defenders. Unknown ferals hopped up on Dark Kingdom energy would not be nearly as heartbreaking to fight.

"Sir! The eastern perimeter guard has been broken. They need to withdraw!" called out Bridget loudly in a clear voice.

"Permission granted. Tell them to pull back to section three-alpha." responded Scott instinctively. That was a location much closer to the castle, but it would be a better vantage point to attack and defend from than the next closest location.

"Roger." responded Bridget before issuing the order. It was an order given out several more times with only the fall back location changed as the defenders were slowly whittled down by the superior numbers before them.

It was noon before the battle ended as the celestials remaining in the fight were able to cleanse the last of the possessed attackers. It had been a devastating battle for the defenders, however. Over half of the remaining forces were horribly injured or dead, and the remainder were not unscathed either. There were less than fifty defenders outside the city walls that could be counted on to continue the fight at full strength if more of the possessed arrived. There were barely twice that many inside the walls that could fight at all.

Scott growled out in frustration as Jedite's strategy was made plain and clear. They were going to be put under siege and simply left to rot. If they were holed up inside the castle they could not stop him from undertaking his plans. In short, they had been put in time out.

"Recall everyone." ordered the master of this fallen city.

"Yes, sir." replied Bridget as she sent out the general recall transmission.

Once that bit of business was complete he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before opening them again. "Begin drafting and issue the emergency evacuation order to all non-essential personnel."

The girls responded in varying ways but most of the aforementioned responses were those of shock and incredulity. "Understood, sir. Issuing draft and evacuation order."

A castle under siege was no place for over one thousand civilians. Some of those civilians would remain behind to bolster the current forces defending the area. Scott held out little hope that there would be many who could fight effectively. The humans would need powerful magic-enhanced firearms if they had any skills with such at all. The pokegirls who were not already in the guard were mostly non-combatant types. That factor only made them slightly more helpful than the average human in a fight.

Scott gazed at the viewing screen and knit his brows together while his people pulled back inside the castle. The dead would have to wait for burial. He would not risk losing any more people in the open.

'Damn you Jedite.' he thought with a deep solemn anger. They were trapped in the castle now unless they chose to desert it altogether.

Scott answered questions and requests half-heartedly for a time while contemplating what must be done. They had to act and act now. When the civilians were gone there would be only fighters and support teams left. He firmly believed that the airfield was the answer to the question of the enemy general's whereabouts The problem was getting there with enough strength to do something about it. Teleporting in would not work well, since the only people who had seen it were high-fliers. None of them were teleport capable.

As time passed he did begin to formulate a plan, however. A few scenarios ran through his mind, but none of them seemed workable. There was simply no way to get a large force to the area undetected. With the number of ferals in the woods, not to mention all the avenues of attack, they would be whittled down to practically nothing in short order.

The more he thought about it, the more it began to seem like the only way to get there would be to go in with a purposefully small team. They needed to take out Jedite by any means available. A large force moving through the area would lack the necessary knowledge of enemy placements to arrive intact. A small group arriving at the airfield and scouting the area might have a better chance of infiltration and assassination.

It was insane and the airfield might not even be the proper place to be. That fact was also a major reason not to commit the entire force remaining to the task. Still, it was the only chance they had.

"Master?" asked Minako softly. He had seemed to be deep in thought for quite a while now. Several hours had passed since the battle and he had barely spoken.

"Yeah?" he replied with a deep frown etched on his face.

"The evacuation is complete and the new draftees are being outfitted."

"Good. Gather the team and the others in my ready room. I'm going to outline a plan."

"Understood, master." she replied with a stiff salute.

As she left, the man who would be king stared at the view screen as it continued to show the once thriving city. Sometime during the fighting a fire had started. Now this shining city of hope was a rapidly burning ruin that would have to be rebuilt if anyone desired to ever return to the besieged area.

Softly, too soft for anyone else to hear, he spoke, "I'm sorry." The look in his eyes betrayed his true emotions, however. This was not self-pity or self-recrimination. It was a statement of resolve. There were no more tears. He no longer desired to put his head down and wallow in his own inadequacy.

For the first time in his life he truly and deeply hated someone. Henry had made him come close to that, but ultimately he was but a pawn. Intellectually Scott knew that Jedite was only a pawn as well, but at the moment he did not care. He truly and decisively made a resolution to kill the Negaverse general.

As the city burned, the digital firelight shined brightly in his eyes; a mirror of his own inner flame rekindling. The time for frustration and tears was over. It was time to end this permanently. Jedite would fall.

...

An: Sure, this probably was not the chapter you were all hoping to see, but I felt this was the best stopping point. I felt the need to show a tidbit of Scott's new role as a leader, before focusing on the battle with Jedite to come. I also wanted to flesh that set of conflicts out a bit more before finishing this volume. As such, there will be one to two more chapters to go. For those who prefer snuggly character moments, there will be a few but the next sections are primarily action oriented and not nearly as much of it will be behind the view screen action.

By the way. I am not dead, but the cake is still a lie.


	29. The Fallen

Within the confines of the underground storage facilities of a small airfield a dark general reviewed his progress. A slow smile crossed his features as his plans seemed to be progressing nicely. The Youma he had sent out were reporting drastic reductions in life force throughout the castle. The fools were gearing up for war.

There was no possible way they could know where he resided. Everything within a days average walk from his location was blanketed in anti-locational wardings and filled with his scouts. He had even taken care to make certain that he did not set the perimeter in any noticeable pattern. He would have to have company drop in unexpectedly.

Jedite unleashed a smug laugh as he saw the city being torn asunder by his converts. They were the lowest eschelon of his soldiers, mere husks of their former selves. He was saving the stronger among them for becoming true youma.

"Master? Why not allow us to finish them. Surely any one of us is worth a hundred of those pathetic creatures you send out?" inquired Verdant, the greenish colored mantis super youma.

"I admire your enthusiasm my pet. However, my plans are proceeding steadily. Their defenses are weakening, the hearts are breaking, and I have only begun to torment them." remarked Jedite as he watched more of his captured pokegirl youma assault the castle' defenses. He had run out of weak transformed citizens for the most part and was relying on all of the captured creatures from the woods for his cannon fodder now. Only a select few former citizens remained as potential hostages. There were also the super youma candidates he was currently trying to transform.

Verdant quirked a cultured eyebrow but knew enough not to backtalk her master. Sepia had learned that fact the hard way. The stupid bitch was still trying to regenerate her legs and arms.

Jedite ignored his pet for a moment as he considered his plans. Things were going well, almost too well. In the past the knight and his cohorts were always able to pull out some sort of last minute save. He had planned for this likely eventuality, but he was still curious. What manner of tricks did the besieged have up his sleeves?

...

Chapter 29: The Fallen

...

"Look, this plan of yours is crazy." cited Arshes once again. She was fine with daring and bold movements in battles. Conquest required such things. What Scott was planning was not only bold it was outright idiotic.

Scott nodded at her then replied, "I know, but it's the only plan I've got. Do you have a better one?"

She frowned at him. There were dozens of other things they could do. They could call to the league and ask for reinforcements, supplies, weapons, etc. Scott seemed determined to take the battle to Jedite, however.

"We, can always ask for aid. More troops might allow us to work our way through the forest to try and take the fight to him directly." counseled Aaron.

Pirotessa agreed with the younger, but seemingly elder guild leader. "We don't have to do this commando raid of yours."

"We'll die if we stay here. If we teleport out then Jedite will simply continue on using this place as a powerbase then begin to assault the other league towns with large forces of the converted. He has already had enough time to build up a reasonable army. We cannot allow him to continue doing so."

"You cannot even be sure he is where you think he is though." said Artemis with a mildly concerned tone. He trusted Scott's judgment but this was risky.

"He's there." replied Scott with a certainty that was almost frightening.

The others grew silent for a moment upon hearing his conviction. When he finally spoke, it was with a tone of finality "I'm going to do this. Anyone who wishes to join me may do so. Those who do not will need to remain here to keep up defense of this location."

This statement brought a vocal round of nay-saying from his closest comrades until a single voice spoke out. "I'm with you wherever you go, Scott."

All eyes fell on Minako as she stood resolute and ready. She had been with him the longest save for Pirotessa. It was without question that she felt she owed her life and sanity to him.

The Tiger flapped its wings and flew over to Scott's shoulder. "I exist in this world solely to serve the master. I go wherever he desires."

"We'll make that bastard pay." remarked Makoto as she stepped up beside her alpha.

"He hurt so many people. I don't like to fight, but I can't forgive this." said Serena as she stood with her friends.

Scott smiled at them and was unsurprised when Ryoko hopped over to the group with a bounce. "Wherever my master goes, so too goes his samurai in training!"

Rei was about to speak up as she moved toward the group as well but she was interrupted by Arshes. "Oh seriously? Do we really have to have this touchy feely moment of solidarity? You people make me sick."

Scott noticed that she strode over to where the others stood and shook her head. When he quirked an eyebrow at her she snorted at him and tossed her head. "Kai Harn is one of my subordinates. It is only fitting I go. There is also the fact that you are too incompetent and weak to be left on your own."

"Sure. I love you too babe." remarked Scott with a smirk. She began to respond with a slight smile of her own but caught herself. The nerve of this guy!

Rei frowned at her and then turned back to her master. "Well, since my moment to shine is gone I'll just say I'm going too."

"Glad to have you on board Rei." replied the man with a heartfelt sincerity.

It was a slight surprise that Ami wanted to go, but her sincere statement of, "You say I am someone that can help save this world. Even if I'm not I have to go. I can't be left behind while my friends fight. I won't be much help and I'll get in the way, and I.."

Scott walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder causing her to lift her head to face him. "You're stronger than you know Ami."

Her brilliant crimson flush caused the other girls to grow jealous momentarily but they quickly got over it. She was just too innocent and sweet to be mad at for long.

"I'm uncertain what to say." remarked Aaron.

Scott turned to him. "Let me guess?"

The older man nodded slowly.

"You want to come as well, but if all of the senior staff and leadership is gone then there will be no one left who can keep the place in order if the worst happens." stated Scott thoughtfully.

Aaron agreed partially. "That is a good part of it. I'll be honest and state that this is a foolish endeavor as well. Still, I have never turned down a hard battle with impossible seeming odds. I am simply uncertain of the wisdom of all of us going despite the desire to do so."

"Aaron." stated Scott.

"Yes?" replied his mentor.

"I hereby order you to take command of the castle, the city, its resources, and all matters pertaining to its safety and continuance until my return." stated Scott in a strong authoritative tone.

The guild leader rendered a gallant salute with his sword and replied with a simple heartfelt, "Upon my life, I will do as commanded."

The cats, save for the Tiger, decided it would be best to remain behind as well. Artemis considered going, but he knew he might simply be in the way.

Saeko was not even remotely happy about her child running off to fight when she did not have a weapon or any long term training. Still, it was a terrible situation. "I want to go, but I doubt I'll be able to do anything more than get in the way. My daughter can at least act as a healer with all the medical supplies I plan to load her down with."

Scott turned to Pirotessa and nodded at her slowly. She did not say a word as she walked toward him and stood with the group. It was obvious that wherever he would go, she wished to follow.

He took a moment to gaze at each of his friends in turn and nodded slowly once he was done. "This is the last chance to back out."

There were murmurs and even one shout of negation upon hearing that statement. Scott closed his eyes and opened them again. "I'll be honest with you. This is almost guaranteed to be a suicide mission. Providence may smile upon us, but the odds are not with us. If I am right we will have to fight until our dying breath against the most powerful foe we have ever faced."

Scott realized how much that affected his group as many of them turned their heads to the side and closed their eyes. After he let that sink in for a moment he spoke again, to break the silence which had fallen upon the group. "However, we will win. There is no other outcome which will occur."

"We will?" asked Serena curiously.

"Yes. We will win. We will defeat Jedite. The Negaverse will fall. This world will be preserved. Its people will continue on living their lives and growing old together."

He watched his confident and sincere words echo within them as well. "We will win, together."

"Together." murmured Ami softly.

Makoto picked up on what she said and blinked then responded with greater conviction. "Together."

Scott put his hand forward and looked at them all. The tiger noticed what his master was doing and raised his forepaw in a sign of solidarity. Arshes recognized what was happening first after this and placed her hand atop Scott's, followed immediately by Pirotessa. The rest of the team saw this happening and joined in.

"We'll win!" stated Scott vehemently. The others cried out, "Together!" Even Arshes got in on it despite feeling as though this was a rather hokey thing to do.

Aaron and those who were not going to fight had remained silent. Scott did not forget them, however. "Aaron?"

"Yes?" replied the ancient man lightly.

"How will we win."

A slight smile creased the elder's features as he walked forward and placed his hand atop theirs before sincerely replying, "Together." in a strong resonant voice.

"Saeko. How will we win?" he asked curiously to those gathered in front of him. She understood that he was including her so she walked over and joined her hand to theirs. "Together."

"Artemis. Luna. How will we win?" asked Scott. The cats glanced at each other then followed suit with the Tiger and scurried over to clamber onto Minako's and Serena's shoulder's respectively. In unison they replied, "Together."

Scott looked around at his closest friends, his family, for what might be the last time. Unlike the anime he had watched the Dark Kingdom was no joke villain in this world. They were cunning and deadly foes.

He saw the resolve in their eyes. In the eyes of a few he felt as though he saw love, in others he saw hope. In a few he even saw the beginnings of true inner strength. Each of those eyes belonged to someone he cared deeply about, even Luna. She could be snotty but at heart she was a good kitty. Perhaps someday he would tell her that.

...

The darkness of night lent its mysteries to the small assault force as they flew among the clouds. They were just low enough to see below, but would remain unseen among the wisps of cloud in the darkness. The miles had been traversed quickly though it had been a harrowing ride. There was more than enough room on the Tiger's full-size form for the quartet, but that did not make the ride smooth or less dangerous. The winds were a bit rough at this altitude and falling off was a constant issue.

When they arrived at the deployment zone they remained in the air for a time using nightvision equipment to spy on the area. At this distance it was unlikely anyone on the ground could make out tiny green lights among the clouds, but the strike force could see the airfield readily.

Scott shivered involuntarily at the sensation the area gave off. It felt depressing, cold, and devoid of life. It was not the loneliness of a forgotten place, however. There was definitely something down there.

Pirotessa tapped him on the shoulder and he glanced back before nodding. He didn't like how quiet the area seemed but they were still going in.

Tiger took the group down quickly and they landed in the pitch black darkness. There descent seemed to go unnoticed, but life was not always as it seemed. In the underground basement of the main airfield hangar the dark general unleashed a slow, wicked, smile.

Scott released all of the girls from their pokeballs, save for Serena. She had flown along beside the group since she had that capacity. Once out of their spherical prisons they used their own night vision equipment to watch the area as Scott relayed his hand signals to them. The plan would go as stated back at the castle.

Immediately afterward the group split up into three teams. Each of these teams had a primary scouting mission before returning to the designated base position Scott had laid out on the map in the castle. There were three buildings the check in the area, including the main hangar.

Team one would include Scott, the Tiger, and Serena acting as overwatch. They would move back up toward cloud level to watch the entire area as the other two teams checked the secondary buildings on the property.

Scott directed team two and three o begin their mission with his quick hand signals then nodded to Serena. The trio lifted off and moved swiftly out of sight as the other two teams took off silently to begin reconnaissance of the area.

Team two consisted of Minako, Ryoko, and Rei. They went after the dilapidated office building nearby. Team three moved toward what used to be a concessionaire section which included aluminum bleachers which had largely remained intact through the centuries.

Up at cloud level Scott and Serena watched as their friends risked themselves by moving through the darkness. The night vision equipment they were using was outdated technology. There were magical versions which did not show the green lighting, but such devices would be easier to detect by the negaverse general. The green light might give away their position but only if they were physically seen.

Radio static crackled as Minako's low voice came over the comms. "Team two, clear."

Scott simply beeped the comm once to let them know he received their message. He knew that sound would carry in the stillness, but it would be better than his voice carrying in the dark. Minako might have been heard by someone with sensitive ears, but that could not be helped. A quick beep in response was much shorter in duration than a vocal confirmation.

It did not take much longer for team three to report in as well. They were clear as well. So far there was nothing but the rusting hunks of former airplanes to check outside of the main building. The derelict planes would be checked last as they were little more than dust and left over aluminum. The largest building had to be searched.

Scott beeped twice, signaling the teams to converge on the rendezvous point. Once they arrived Scott heard a beep from his own comm and he nodded. It was time to head down and join them.

When they joined up with the regrouped strike force, he immediately gave the signal to split up and take the building from different directions. Acquiring information on the floor plan of the building had proven impossible due to the records no longer existing. However, from the design there would most likely be only the main bay doors, a few high windows for ventilation and the possible side door or two.

Scott tried to fight back the sense of uneasiness he felt at how easily the infiltration was going. If Jedite was here he would have to be in the hangar. There was really no where else to be. The place should be crawling with youma. If nothing else there hould be at least a few feral pokegirls if he was not here.

There was no light inside the hangar to betray the presence of anyone within its confines. There were also no side doors. The only way in or out for normal individuals would be the main doors.

The man from another world frowned to himself then signaled the others quickly. Team two would stay outside to hold position while the others moved in.

When all was ready Scott took a deep breath and gave the signal to team three before tapping his elbow back against Serena. She immediately elbowed the Tiger in the nose and was rewarded with a light nudge in return. She tapped Scott on the shoulder and he surged forward against the obviously unlocked door. Though team three was one member larger they had completed their readiness check at roughly the same time and rushed forward as well.

The hangar doors flew open as the teams raced inside and began taking up search positions at a good distance from each other. The hangar was large, and cluttered with rusted equipment. Dust hung heavily in the air. At first it seemed as though no one had been in the place for a very long time. However, Arshes noted silently that there were signs of the area being partially cleaned up recently. There were foot and claw prints as well.

Serena moved forward as silently as she could while trying to see everything in her immediate environs. The greenish cast to the area gave it a very disturbing aura. As she walked past a rusted hulk of machinery she paused for a moment to stare at something which seemed vaguely suspicious. However, she soon discounted it as being of notice. She would not be comforted with the slightly odd portion of rusted machinery moved silently in the darkness as scythe-like appendages reared back in anticipation.

This was a scenario that repeated itself several times as the search teams scouted the area. The deeper into the hangar they went, the further into the lair of their enemy they walked.

It would have been a perfect trap had the dark kingdom general really known what he was up against. Azure, the blue mantis youma lept out of hiding silently with deadly purpose to strike down Scott from behind. As the only male human in the group he was the prey of choice.

She never got close to him as large powerful demonic jaws instinctively lashed out to capture the surprised super youma mid-jump. Her screams of pain, rage, and panic echoed throughout the hangar immediately sending the other mantis youma into attack mode. In the darkness targets had been chosen and powerful super youma launched themselves toward their hapless prey.

Pirotessa whirled around instinctively as she felt the approach of the creature behind her. She was far too slow to stop the creature, however, as scythe-like arms erupted outward and down in a blow that cleanly ripped her arms away as though they were nothing but a minor nuisance. The dark elf did not even have time to scream as she was hurled away bloodily with a sharply planted kick to her chest.

Makoto managed to land a solid backflip kick into Scarlet as the red mantis came down upon her from the ceiling which sent the youma flying back from the force of the blow. However, she proved to be uninjured as she immediately caught herself and lunged forward upon hitting the ground. She assaulted the amazonchan with blinding speed, easily piercing her defenses to deliver a devastating series of slashes that tore deep bloody gouges into her body.

The sudden assault continued with Serena falling to the ground in pain as one of her arms was sheared clean from her body at the shoulder before a second strike impaled her through the rib cage to puncture a lung.

Ami tried to fight back against the unseen attacker that sprung upon her with terrible fury. Despite all of her best intentions toward survival she really had no chance at all against the power of the super predator clawing at her hungrily.

Each of these attacks had occurred simultaneously and with speed so certain that even the screams of the fallen did not escape their lips until they were being gripped tight in uncaring hands to be dragged away from the fight. The spoils of war their fate would not be known for some time for the remaining members of the strike force were blinded by the brilliantly shining light that erupted outward from the nearby basement of the hangar.

Night vision equipment was quickly removed as each member of the group still remaining tried desperately to regain their vision.

The mocking laughter coming from nearby was all Scott needed to hear to know he had been right about the whereabouts of the negaverse general.

"My my. What do we have here? A couple of silver millennium rejects and their incompetent leader? Really, what were you idiots thinking." laughed the dark general as he strode forward confidently.

Arshes Nei managed to regain enough of her senses to fire off a quickly cast Iron Lightning Anthem at the smug sounding general. To her dismay her electric based magic missile attack slammed into a powerful defensive shield that completely defeated the attack.

Jedite chuckled lightly as he shook his head. "Not bad, but I've seen better. You hero types are all the same. Give you enough rope and you'll hang yourselves."

The Tiger lept forward in a bid to attack the enemy but Scott called out for him to go after the girls instead. He was the only one that might be able to stop whatever it was that attacked them.

The overly large flying feline did not hesitate a moment as it scented the super youma that had fled with the badly injured friends of his master. He took off immediately. Scott was unnerved that Jedite made no move to stop him.

Catching site of Scott's confusion the dark general shook his head. "I'm not a cat person."

Scott began to flare with mystical energy as sonic resonance began to build around him. The powerful strains of an electric guitar raced outward from the man as he focused on his signature spell.

Jedite did not seem impressed at the display of power. He was even less concerned with the sudden cry of "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" that erupted from Minako as her team raced in. She had taken the time to transform before coming in. Less than half a minute had passed since the battle had begun and they already had four badly wounded friends scattered to the four winds. She would take no chances. Only the need for stealth and transportation had kept the girls from coming into the area transformed to begin with.

The brilliant stream of raw high yield plasma slammed into the forcefield of the dark general with incredible fury but it was no more successful against it than Nei's assault had proven to be.

Scott's Black Metal attack raced outward less than two seconds after Minako's attack. Twin dragon-like streams of raw destructive force tore at the negaverse generals shields but he seemed unphased. Whether any of the attacks had managed to weaken his defenses at all was impossible to tell.

"Really? Is this all you have? A few weak elemental attacks aren't even worth bothering with." scoffed Jedite casually before affecting a yawn.

"Bastard! You hurt our friends, kidnapped people from town, and you stand there making fun of us?" snapped out Rei angrily.

"How cute. It speaks and everything." remarked Jedite before turning to Scott. "You have interesting pets. I think she'll look adorable as a rug in front of my fireplace."

"Don't you fucking touch her." replied Scott hatefully as he began running the words to another of his spells through his mind. He had known Jedite's mystical defenses would be powerful, but this was ridiculous.

"Hmm. Empty threats. Really, you hero types are quite amusing. You can't even so much as muss my hair and you think to dictate my actions?" replied Jedite while thoroughly enjoying his crowning moment of glory. These fools were far weaker than he had thought. Half their number was out of the picture already, and the strongest magic users could not even injure him. This wasn't really even that much fun.

Ryoko launched herself forward with wooden katana at the ready. Magical attacks would not penetrate his defense but perhaps a physical assault would. She was forced to parry the sudden arrival of a set of scythe-like arms as a sepia colored mantis youma bore down on her with lethal intent.

The would-be samurai pokegirl frantically slashed, dodged, and parried the blows of her opponent but found herself losing ground rapidly to the powerful blows being directed toward her. Nei lept in to help her but even their combined skills were barely able to keep the super youma from simply ripping them in half.

Jedite quirked an eyebrow and casually stated, "Sepia, your arms and legs seem to be working again."

Minako snaked her chain out to try and trap one of the mantis pokegirls limbs but she was shocked to see that she caught only a fading image. The mantis girl had moved so quickly only a phantom of her former self had remained behind.

"They still need more time, master. I think they'll be fine for this fight though. These snacks aren't that hard to swallow."

Scott finished mentally preparing his spell before unsheathing Soul Crusher. Jedite's scultped eyebrows rose incredulously as his would-be nemesis sang out, "PREPARE FOR WAR!" in a deep authoritative voice.

The sound of high-speed guitar thrashing raced from the leader of the strike force as flame erupted outward from his former demon blade with incredible intensity.

"Well, that looks promising." remarked the dark general with a smirk.

"Can I eat him master? He smells like barbecue." requested sepia with a toothy grin.

"Go ahead. I'm already bored with this. Just kill them all." replied her blond leader before drifting back on an unseen air current. It seemed to be a token gesture for her to just get it over with.

Scott's Dragonforce inspired spell allowed him to increase his physical capacity several times its normal limit. He was faster, stronger, more durable. He could keep pace with anyone in his circle of friends and was even fast enough using it to slay the super youma Havoc.

The man saw only a blur moving toward him as the world seemed to slow to a crawl. Baleful insectile eyes bore down on him with blinding speed as he struggled to bring his sword to bare against her. The world seemed to grind to a halt as he moved with the speed of half frozen molasses compared to what was coming. In the end he was completely overwhelmed. Small fists, far too delicate to deliver such crushing punishment, slammed into his armored chest plate to send him hurtling backward with the speed and force of a wrecking ball.

He would have slammed into the hangar wall but the menace pokegirl turned super youma blurred forward at even greater speed than before to appear above him mid-flight. Her scythe-like arms slammed down to pierce his chest plate, shredding it like paper. Only when she stopped moving long enough to snap her head down to take a bite out of his armored shoulder did she reveal a weakness.

Minako's chain whip lashed out to score a deep gash along the creature's side. Dark purple and green fluid gushed out of the laceration before the youma blinked, spat out a piece of bloody cerametal, and turned quickly to the irritating gnat that had dared to injure her.

A super high pitched "Screee!" erupted from her throat as she launched herself toward the senshi of Venus at full speed. The pretty suited soldier of love and snuggles had not even fully retracted her whip before the youma was upon her ripping into her chest with only slightly less success than she had managed with Scott.

Jedite was thoroughly amused with this spectacle as the bloodlust evident in the youma's mannerisms were part and parcel to why he chose this particular breed in the first place.

Ryoko lashed out at the speedy bug type only to hit a phantom image. Her cry of pain screamed into the night as a scythe arm pierce her back, puncturing her lung, and narrowly avoiding her heart. The hapless pokegirl was hurled away forcefully with little effort only to land with a deep meaty thunk before sliding bloodily into the wall nearby.

Scott's world swam in his vision as he tried to get up and failed. While he attempted to right himself Rei tried to aid a newly embattled Minako but found herself being bitch-slapped with a backfist that sent her hurtling away in a spinning heap. Any who would be able to notice in the midst of this horrific scene would have realized that several of her teeth were rapidly moving in an opposite direction from the rest of her body.

Sepia took a second too long to play with her would-be Minako-snack and found herself on the receiving end of Arshes sword. Lightning crackled against the super powered menace as she began to shake spasmodically. Temporarily paralyzed the half dark elf slashed her again and again. She actually managed to sever one of her scythe arms before the pokegirl recovered enough to whip herself to deliver a powerful palmstrike to the thunder empress's impressive chest.

Arshes Nei went flying through the air with incredible speed to slam heavily into a pile of rusted debris. Said debris exploded outward in lung choking cloud of oxidized iron.

The mantis youma glanced at Minako hatefully as the girl tried to straighten herself to fight back. The blond senshi of Venus was badly injured in several places and even her senshi regenerative powers were not keeping up with the large wounds on her torso and extremities.

Sepia lunged foward and impaled her in the chest with her sole remaining scythe arm before biting her on the shoulder. Venus screamed in agony as both her life blood and life force began to flow out from her body. Had anyone been coherent enough to notice they would have been horrified to see the terrible wounds Sepia had received were rapidly healing. Her missing scythe arm was regrowing steadily even as Venus' vision began to swim.

The blond senshi tried to push the much stronger youma away, but she was unable to make any headway as her life rapidly faded. It was not until the youma suddenly jerked back and stood stock still for a moment that she was about to fall backward out of its clutches.

On the ground next to the paralyzed super youma lay the rapidly breathing form of Rei. She had managed to crawl over to where Sepia was draining Minako to apply a shinto talisman to the super powered pokegirl.

Jedite watched in amusement as the armored female mage climbed unsteadily from the dust and wreckage she had been thrown into. He chuckled softly as she unleashed a powerful lightning spell upon his creation that caused it to explode in a burning shower of gore.

Magnanimous in partial defeat he actually applauded their efforts. "Bravo. You actually managed to destroy one of my pets. Quite a feat even if the poor dear had only recently regenerated all of her limbs."

Scott's vision stopped blurring in and out long enough for him to sit up and take stock of the situation. Ryoko was down and possibly dead. Minako would need to regenerate for a good while before she would be able to help much, if she even survived her wounds. Rei, well he was honestly surprised she was even moving considering the obvious broken jaw she was sporting.

He was barely able to struggle his way up to his feet, but he had no other choice. Nei was the only one standing otherwise.

In a rage, Arshes launched a powerful lightning spell toward the dark general. Scott could not hear the name properly but it sounded like she called out "Thunder riot" or something similar.

Scott used the momentary confusion caused by the thunder and lightning to find the pokeballs for Ryoko and Rei. He recalled them safely and moved over to check Minako. Her wounds were slowly healing but it was obvious she was out of the fight. He fought back tears as he looked at her badly torn and lacerated form. He had no way to know if she'd even survive with most of them being very deep, cutting to the bone. A few had punctured her cleanly through her torso to open up on the otherside.

There was no time to stand there and cry over his fallen, possibly dying, friend. He had to figure out how to get through Jedite's barrier. Unlike in the anime there were no conveniently placed multi-ton planes to run him down. That didn't even kill him as he recalled through his mental fog.

Scott turned to the dark kingdom general and stepped toward the smug figure as he floated in the air. The confidence the blond haired negaverse leader displayed was mixed with derision and scorn.

"What are you smirking at?" remarked Scott as he forced himself to lift Soul Crusher. His left arm was nearly useless due to the damage his shoulder had taken. He was more than physically capable of lifting the heavy blade with one hand, but control might prove to be an issue.

Jedite spared him a glance and allowed his eyebrow to quirk in amusement once again. "What a gallant and original inquiry. I can feel the very marrow of my bones shake in terror at your query."

Arshes Nei began to take up a fighting stance as she prepared to use one of her powerful sword skills. Scott shook his head at her, however. "Nei.. use your spell. The one that can kill this bastard."

She blinked at him dumbly for a moment, unable to comprehend what spell he meant. The only knowledge she possessed that might penetrate his shield was the spell Helloween and the moon was not full. It could not be effectively cast.

"So, you think the little halfbred mage can beat me with a spell? What is this some sort of children's show where the hero pulls out a devastating last minute super attack that defeats the evil overlord?" scoffed Jedite before shaking his head. "I have taken your measure. Your entire team barely managed to defeat one of my pets. What hope do you have of even scratching me?"

Scott stared at him a moment then shrugged his one good shoulder. "Give us a moment to confer and I'll happily kill you after?"

Jedite stared at him incredulously, a gaze shared by Arshes Nei. Did he really just ask that? However, the dark kingdom general simply laughed in a slow cold manner. "Why not. It might even amuse me."

The black armored soldier nodded to him before walking to his only standing ally. He whispered something into her ear and her eyes widened in shocked revelation. It might actually work, even if it was a major gamble.

"Alright, are we done planning our foolproof strategy to take down the big bad general?" asked Jedite with a soft chuckle. This was the most fun he'd had in ages. He already had strategies and counter strategies in place for anything these weak idiots threw at him. There was nothing they might do which could surprise him. He might appear to have been foolishly overconfident, but it did not matter. He took the time they spent conversing to raise his own spiritual energies subtly higher.

"Yeah. Thanks for waiting." replied Scott flippantly. He was not certain his plan would work, but honestly there was no other option.

"Certainly. Now show me this devastating super spell capable of destroying me." remarked the general as his hand moved to the sword at his hip.

Scott retrieved his nightvision goggles and nodded to Arshes to begin her spell.

The elven girl took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the enemy. She did not believe for a second that he would let her actually cast this.

Jedite once again quirked his eyebrow as she began to cast. 'What kind of spell used wording such as this?'

~ Elliot, Collen, Allen, Savage

and all the gods of war!

Arshes Nei intoned the ancient high magic as the air around her began to crackle and awaken with strange new life. Jedite was not particularly impressed at the level of power being displayed yet but he was thoroughly scanning the waves of spiritual energy to garner a clue to the nature of the working. 'An electrical spell of some sort..' he concluded as she continued to work.

The dark kingdom general shifted the phase of his barrier to adjust more to the lighting based magic spectrum just in case they were not confused about this spell's power.

I call your mystic symbol's fire -

Let love and hate collide!

"What a peculiar litany, but of course you goody two shoes types always throw love in there somewhere." quipped Jedite as he saw a strange new aspect of the working unfolding. He shifted his barrier phase slightly to accommodate twisting dimensional forces as well. It briefly occurred to him that this might be some sort of banishing spell. What was he, some sort of imp to be cast into hell?

Scott turned on his night vision goggles, closed his eyes, and placed them for use. He would be needing them shortly. He just hoped he would be fast enough with his injuries.

Jedite sensed the build up of the forces around the elf and nodded slowly. It was indeed a fairly powerful spell, but nothing his barrier could not handle.

Arshes called out strongly, "DEF LEPPARD'S BLACK LIQUID LIGHTNING SPHERE!"

The rising energy currents suddenly erupted upward at an angel from her handle. Briefly Jedite witnessed a large ball of what seemed to be roiling liquid electrical current before everything changed.

"What?" he asked astounded, as suddenly the lights went out, his barrier dropped and all of the carefully concealed magical energy he had summoned was removed from the scenario. In the darkness it took him a moment to regain his composure. It was a moment too long as Scott's sword whistled down toward the dark kingdom general in what should have been a killing blow. Unfortunately, for the man Jedite might have been primarily a mage, but he was formerly an accomplished swordsman as well.

The general narrowly dodged the attack, taking only a large gash to the arm as he skittered away from the assault. It seemed that even without magic he could see perfectly in the dark.

Nei did not need goggles to see in the dark, but her vision showed only heat signatures. Unfortunately, the general did not seem to give off much in the way of heat. She chose to wear her goggles as well.

Scott had his one good hand full as he struggled to keep up with the counterattacking general. His lighter sword rained down blows furiously upon the heavily armored knight of the league. Said knight was continually pressed back by strikes that would have cleaved him in half had that actually landed. Only an unbreakable sword and Scott's genetically evolved strength allowed him to even have a chance to withstand the power that Jedite possessed. Even without his magic, the general was no slouch in the combat department.

For the first time his awakening his dormant powers Scott was completely unable to use them. Only his strength and agility were available. As his sword was routinely parried and the damage to his body continued to increase at lightning fast speed, he knew that he was overmatched.

Nei slashed down with incredible fury, only to have her lightning sword countered at the last second as well. The duo fiercely fought against Jedite with all of their strength and for a time he seemed to slowly give ground despite neither of them even managing to so much as nick him.

Above their heads the magic nullifying spell, which somehow did not nullify itself, continued to absorb any and all magic in the area. A now pokegirl form Minako lay on the ground, bleeding out her life as her regenerative powers were no longer in effect.

Scott saw an opening through the green lens of his goggles and lunged forward with barely beyond human speed. He realized his error as he overcommitted to the attack and was sent hurtling away at blinding speeds by an unseen force.

"How?" asked Arshes in confusion. The general had not even touched the armored knight.

Jedite lept clear of her attacks and landed casually atop a nearby platform before responding. "Do you really think you're the only fool who has ever tried to nullify magic in combat? I am over ten thousand years old. There is nothing you have ever witnessed in action that might defeat me."

Scott's vision swam as he crawled forward on his hands and knees. His armor was scarred, pitted, and missing in several sections. His body was wounded, possibly even beyond his ability to regenerate. He didn't know, and at the moment did not care. The fact remained that there was a fight that had to be won.

As he staggered toward Arshes, and his current Nemesis he could feel himself growing weaker. He was bleeding out somewhere, but could not tell where just yet. It also did not matter. He had to get back in there, he had to.

'Ten thousand years..' thought Arshes with a shudder. This man, no this thing, truly was a monster.

Jedite smirked as the dark elven hottie hurled herself into the air toward him with her lightning sword crackling. He couldn't possibly be using magic, despite his age.

Unfortunately for her, she found herself slamming bodily into an invisible wall hovering in the air. She fell to the ground in a dazed heap, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Scott saw this and knew despair. There was only one thing they could be facing. The Def Leppard spell would nullify and drain all magic in the area, sending it to another dimension. However, it seems that whatever type of inherent psychic energy Jedite used did not count as magic.

He could not let that deter him, however. The battle had only raged for a scant few minutes, including the time it took to cast the magic nullifying spell. The spell would not last forever even so. This was the only chance they would have to assault the general physically.

"You really are a coward, you know that?" remarked Scott in the hopes of breaking the general's concentration.

Jedite was not fooled, however. "So, this is the part of the tale we have finally come to?" he remarked. When Scott did not answer the general continued to inform him of the point in the story they were at. Come now. You know what I mean. The point where the lone hero tries to break through the power of his foe by enraging him to the point of being unable to think clearly? A pity, that. It usually means the fight is almost over."

Scott ground his teeth and ignored the taste of blood in his mouth. He had known all along that it was unlikely any of them would survive this fight. Still, he would be damned before he allowed this smug bastard to win. He had no other options and raced forward in the hopes that he would be able to reach his opponent.

Jedite simply gestured into the air and caught the man as he leaped toward him. Scott cried out in agony as the general slowly began closing his slim fingers into a fist. The knight could feel bones beginning to crack, flesh being compressed, and the air escaping his lungs. Caught tight in the grip of his enemy, the first of four generals each more powerful than he was, Scott could not even fight back as his life was being crushed out of him.

The dark general tilted his head slightly like a predatory animal. He was savoring his victory, but that would prove to be a mistake. The general sensed movement to his right and flung Scott away as he dodged an incoming strike that would have cleaved him in half.

The flying knight was caught up in the whirling forces of the Def Leppard spell, unable to move due to his horrible injuries. As he rotated slowly, the sphere drawing him in, his blurring vision behold an impossibility cast in green. A lone warrior with a massive sword stood facing off against the dark general. As he floated into the maw, the world seemed to move in slow motion. Several more of these warriors appeared, each wielding a massive blade easily in one hand. He could not be certain, but there seemed to be something quite feminine about them.

The last sight the man saw before the darkness took him from this world was the general fighting for his life against this strange new force which moved with clearly superhuman speed and skill.

End Volume I

...

AN: Perhaps this wasn't the epic ending people wished for, but it is a nice set up for the other volumes and several side stories. At any rate, please read and review. Volume one: Scott In Pokegirl Land is finally complete! Yes, miracles do happen.

Oh for the curious the entire conflict lasted around 7 to 10 minutes. I think. Maybe 12, tops.

Feel free to hate this chapter. Just know that all bad things come to an end just like good things.

Keep on the look out for the upcoming side stories and chronicles and the eventual revelation of volume II.


End file.
